


Give Me Some Love

by molstrom



Category: Veronica Mars (Movie 2014), Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:48:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 32,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26606266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/molstrom/pseuds/molstrom
Summary: What would have happened if Veronica and Weevil started dating after she got him out of juvie at the beginning of Season One. Doesn't change everything, so...mostly canon???
Relationships: Veronica Mars/Eli "Weevil" Navarro
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	1. One

I’m standing on his front porch with his grandmother when the police car pulls up and the deputy lets him out. He walks into the yard and his grandmother runs down to him and hugs him. He looks at me and says:  
“I hear you’re responsible for this Kodak moment.”

He walks up the porch stairs and says:  
“Didn’t you hear? The bad guy was already in jail.”  
He stands in front of me and opens his arms before saying:  
“Give me some love.”  
I step into his arms and hug him. It’s a short hug but feels…right. He lets go of me and I say:  
“The judge issued a warrant for Chardo after authorizing your release.”  
“We’ll find him.”  
“The 09ers will be looking for him too.”  
“Yeah. I know.”

I leave and go home. Later that night I’m sitting on Dog Beach with Backup when I hear someone walking up behind me and Backup starts growling.   
“Uh, V? You want to make him stand down?”  
I laugh and say:  
“Backup, chill.”

Backup stops growling and lays down next to me, his head in my lap. Weevil sits down on the other side of me, gently brushing his fingers down my arm as he does.  
“You helped me even after I was cruel to you the other night.”  
“Yeah well, if you had let me speak rather than attacking me, I could have told you that while Cliff thought you did it, I didn’t. I knew there was no way you’d let your grandma take the fall for something you did.”  
“I’m sorry, V.”  
“Okay.”  
We sit there in silence for a bit before he puts his arm around my shoulders. I freeze before quickly standing up and saying:  
“I need to go.”  
“V, you hugged me earlier…Why is this not okay?”  
“That was a hug, in daylight, in front of your grandmother. This is your arm around me on a dark beach, alone. It’s different. I need to go home.”

I reach down and grab my purse and Backup’s leash and say:  
“Let’s go, Backup.”  
As I walk away, I hear him following me. When we get to my car he waits while I put Backup inside, then he gently turns me around.  
“Veronica…Why are you afraid of me?”  
“I’m not afraid of you, Weevil. I just…”  
“Just what?”  
“I’m not the person that everyone says I am.”  
“Yeah, I figured that out already.”  
“No. You think you have, but I’m probably not that either.”  
“Why are you so convinced that I don’t know who you are?”  
“Why are you so convinced that you do?”  
“Because I see you. I saw how uncomfortable you were that first day at lunch, but you stood your ground. I saw how scared you were of Logan that day on the beach, but you didn’t let him see it. When you told me to stop hitting him, it wasn’t because you didn’t want his apology, it was because you had seen him hurt before and it broke your heart to watch me hurt him. I see you. I know you hide your vulnerable side behind this angry, badass facade.”

I just stare at him. He moves one of his hands to my hair, tucking it behind my ear before putting his hand on my neck.  
“I see you, Veronica Mars.”  
I step towards him and kiss him. He groans against my mouth and deepens the kiss before stepping back and saying:  
“Goodnight, Veronica.”  
“Really? That’s it?”  
“Yup. Get in the car.”  
“Goodnight, Weevil.”

I get in the car and drive home. When I get there, Backup and I go inside. There’s a note from Dad on the counter that he had to leave town, so I lock the door and go shower. Once I’m done, I change into pyjamas and lie down on my bed. As I do, my phone rings and I answer it.  
“Hi.”  
“Why do you answer like you know it’s me?”  
“It is you.”  
“Yeah, but V, you didn’t know that when you answered.”  
“You know I’m going to answer like that from now on just to annoy you, right?”  
“Of course you are.”  
We’re both quiet for a minute and I say:  
“Weevil, you called me.”  
“Right. I was wondering if I could give you a ride to school tomorrow.”  
“I have a car.”  
“Oh, I know. Doesn’t change the fact that I want you on the back of my bike with your arms wrapped around me.”  
I sigh and say:  
“Fine. You can give me a ride to school. But I can’t be late.”  
“You won’t be.”  
We’re both quiet again until he says:  
“So what does Veronica Mars do before bed?”  
“Talk to you on the phone, apparently.”  
“Next question…Don’t hang up on me. What are you wearing?”  
“I could tell you literally anything. You won’t know the difference.”  
“Are you avoiding the question, Veronica?”  
“I’m wearing pyjamas. Pants and a tank top.”  
“So if someone knocked on the door, you could answer it?”  
“I suppose…In theory.”

There’s a knock on the door and I shake my head as I walk out of my bedroom. I hang up the phone when I see him standing on the other side of the door. When I open it I say:  
“You can’t be here. It’s late and Dad’s out of town, which means the neighbours are watching.”  
“Just for a few minutes. I just need to tell you something.”  
“Fine, come in and tell me what couldn’t wait until morning.”  
We walk inside and he pushes the door closed behind him before taking my hand and walking over to the couch. When we’re both sitting, he leans in and kisses me.  
“You said you needed to tell me something.”  
“Yeah, that was in case you don’t want to kiss me again after you hear what I have to say.”

I cross my arms and move slightly away from him on the couch before saying:  
“Okay. Speak.”  
“Oh V, don’t do that. Don’t close off on me.”  
“Say what you need to say.”  
“I was sleeping with Lilly before she was killed. On and off for a year. Basically every time she broke up with Echolls. I have a tattoo of her name. I thought she was someone I could love. I didn’t kill her, Veronica.”  
“Okay.”  
“Just okay? That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”  
“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m pretty sure Lilly was sleeping with a lot of people. Also, I believe you when you say you didn’t kill her.”  
“Why?”  
“Why do I believe you? Should I not?”  
“No, you definitely should, because I didn’t do it. But why do you believe me?”  
“Because you were interviewed. You have an alibi.”  
“So you already knew I was sleeping with her.”  
“Yes.”  
“It doesn’t bother you?”  
“No. Is that all you have to confess?”  
“Yeah. I’ll go.”  
“What time is it?”  
“Eleven.”  
“We have an hour before you have to leave. The rule is that people who don’t live here must be gone by midnight.”  
“Well then, in that case, what do you want to do for an hour?”

I move over to him and straddle his lap. I put my hands on the back of his head and say:  
“Don’t get any ideas. I just want to kiss you.”  
“Works for me.”

I lean into him and kiss him. He runs his hands over my back, and that’s how we stay for a while until there’s a knock on the door. I pull away and look at the door before saying:  
“Shit.”  
I walk over to the door and open it, saying:  
“Deputy.”  
“Veronica, does your Daddy know that Navarro is here in the middle of the night?”  
“Is it midnight?”  
“No. It’s 11:20.”  
“Cool. I still have forty minutes before Weevil has to leave. Go away, Deputy.”  
“Come on, Veronica. You and I both know Keith would lose his shit if he knew his little girl was in her pyjamas making out with Eli Navarro in the middle of the night.”  
“Since when do you care what my Dad would want?”  
“Since it has to do with protecting you.”  
“Really? When I came to you the morning after I was raped, your words to me were, and I quote: ‘Do you want me to round up the sons of all of Neptune’s prominent families? You have no evidence. But I guess that doesn’t matter to the Mars family, right? Oh, she cries. Maybe you should go see the wizard and ask for some backbone.’ They drugged me and took my virginity. I came to you for help and you were a fucking asshole. So you don’t get to act concerned for my welfare now. Fuck off.”

I close the door in his face and turn around before he can see me start to cry. I walk over to the kitchen counter and lean on it while I take deep breaths and try to calm down. I hear Weevil get up from the couch, so I’m not surprised when he turns me around and wraps his arms around me. I wrap mine around him and press my face into his neck, continuing my deep breaths. He whispers:  
“Who was it?”  
“I don’t know. I went to Shelly’s year-end party to prove to them that they couldn’t break me. Someone handed me a drink and then I only remember flashes.”  
“Flashes of what?”  
“The lanterns she had hung up by the pool, Dick feeding me shots, Logan’s eyes. I remember thinking that he would protect me. That I was safe, that despite how angry he had been with me, he’d never actually let them hurt me. But then I woke up the next morning in the guest room, sore and without my panties. I don’t know who did it. But someone did.”  
“I’m so sorry, Veronica.”  
“It’s fine. I’ll figure out who did it and they’ll pay.”  
“That’s how you lost your virginity?”  
“Yeah, and contrary to the rumours, that’s the only sexual experience I’ve ever had.”  
“We’ll take things slow.”  
“Thank you.”

I kiss him and then say:  
“You should go. I need sleep.”  
“Yeah, okay. I’ll pick you up in the morning.”  
“Sounds good to me.”  
I kiss him again and then he leaves the apartment, closing the door behind him. I lock the door and turn out the lights before grabbing my phone and walking into my room. I send him a message that says:  
‘No-one else knows. Please don’t say anything.’


	2. Two

When I wake up in the morning, I have a message from Weevil saying:  
‘No-one has the right to say anything about it except you. But V, I’m here if you need me.’

I shower and get ready for the day, wearing jeans and a t-shirt with my leather jacket and my hair in two ponytails at the base of my skull. I’m eating cereal when there’s a knock on the door and I open it to find Weevil standing there with an extra helmet for me. I kiss him and pull him inside so I can finish my cereal.  
“Lamb’s parked in the lot. He glared at me as I rode in.”  
“It’s really sad that he doesn’t have anything better to do with his time.”  
“Does Backup need to go out?”  
“I already took him. He gets to go out before I even shower in the morning. He’s extremely demanding.”  
“So…”  
“So, what?”   
“So, I’m taking you to school. Do I get to touch you at school, or should I be pretending you don’t exist?”  
“Worried about my reputation, Weevil? Think I might make you look bad?”  
“Are you insane? You are the hottest and smartest girl in school, I’ll make you look bad, not the other way around.”  
“You can touch me, kiss me, talk to me, and eat lunch with me. I was fully intending on walking from the parking lot holding your hand, so…”  
“Not ashamed of me?”  
“Why would I be?”  
“You used to date Duncan Kane.”  
“So? Duncan broke up with me with no warning or explanation and allows his best friend to make my life a living hell. You are hot and sweet, and smarter than you let people believe. Why the fuck would I be ashamed of you?”  
“Troy has been sniffing around you.”  
“Let him sniff. I’m not interested.”

I wash my bowl and spoon, then grab my bag and say:  
“Let’s go.”  
We walk out of the apartment and I lock the door behind us. We walk to the bike holding hands. 

When we pull into the parking lot at school, the PCHers who are standing around look surprised to see someone on Weevil’s bike with him. When we get off and I take off my helmet, Felix’s eyes get wide and he says:  
“Blondie?”  
“Must you call me that? I have a name. You know my name.”  
“Sorry, Veronica.”  
“Thank you, Felix.”  
I turn to Weevil and say:  
“Are you needed here, or can you walk me to my locker?”  
He grins and kisses me before taking my hand and saying:  
“I can definitely walk you to your locker.”  
We walk from the parking lot to my locker holding hands and laughing at all the people staring. Once I’ve put the helmet in my locker and gotten my books out, I close it and he turns me around, pressing me up against the locker before kissing me. I kiss him back before pushing him back a little and saying:  
“So we’re going to be one of those couples?”  
“Hell yes, we are.”  
“Okay.”  
I wrap my arm around his neck and pull him against me again, kissing him until the bell rings. Our classes are in opposite directions, so we separate and head to class. I walk into journalism class and put my stuff down. As I sit down, Logan comes over and says:  
“I saw the strangest thing this morning. I could have sworn I saw you kissing Weevil.”  
“That’s because I was.”  
“You’re working a case or something, right?”  
“Nope. I’m dating Weevil.”  
“You can’t be serious.”  
“Oh, I’m serious. But what the hell does it matter to you?”  
“He’s a criminal.”  
“What? Is he going to ruin my reputation? Oh, wait. You already did that because I dared to stand by my Dad instead of doing what you wanted. Mind your own business, Logan.”

He walks away and we have a mostly peaceful class. My next class isn’t better, with different people deciding they should have a say in who I date. At lunch, I sit with Wallace and we talk about everything but the fact that I’m dating Weevil. At least until Weevil walks up behind me and sits next to me. He pulls me tight against him and whispers:  
“How was your morning?”  
“Apparently everyone has an opinion about who I should date, and none of them think I should be dating you.”  
“And how many of these opinions do you care about?”  
“None of them.”  
“None of them? So you didn’t even care when Logan freaked out first class?”  
“I told him to mind his own business. How did you know about that?”  
“Felix was walking by.”  
“Ah.”

I turn to face him and kiss him before quietly saying:  
“You know that whole ‘taking it slow’ thing?”  
“Yup.”  
“Fuck taking it slow. I want you.”  
“How long is the Sheriff out of town? Unless you meant right here, right now?”  
“Ha ha ha. He’s gone for another two days.”  
“So what are you doing after school?”  
I lean in and whisper against his ear:  
“You?”  
He growls and kisses me as I laugh. Wallace clears his throat and says:  
“Look, SupaFly…I’m happy you’re happy, but can you tone down the PDA? I’m trying to eat here.”  
“Sorry, Wallace.”

When I turn away from Weevil I see Logan glaring at us. That in itself isn’t unusual, but the hurt look on his face is.

The rest of the school day is uneventful, until the end of day bell rings. As I’m making my way to my locker I get pulled into the girls’ bathroom.   
“Logan. What are you doing?”  
He shoves the doorstop under the door and says:  
“Why Weevil?”  
“Why Weevil what?”  
“Why are you dating Weevil?”  
“Why is that any of your business?”  
“Just answer the question.”  
“You first. Why do you care who I date?”  
He doesn’t answer me, just steps towards me, backing me into the wall before he leans in to kiss me. I use the taser he failed to notice and step over him to get to the door. As I open it, he says:  
“Why?”  
“You abandoned me after Lilly died. And if it wasn’t bad enough that you left me alone to mourn that loss, you also made my life hell and told everyone else to as well. There is no way I would ever choose you over Weevil.”  
“But why Weevil?”  
“Why not Weevil? Logan…I understand you seem to have your issues with him, but he’s sweet, funny, smart, he genuinely cares about me, and he’s fucking hot. Anyone who actually cared about me would be happy that I found someone who makes me happy.”

I walk out of the bathroom and run into Weevil. He looks pissed until he looks down and sees Logan lying on the floor. I shake my head at his smirk and wrap my arms around his neck before pulling him into me for a kiss.  
“Take me home.”  
“Yeah, let’s go.”

When we get back to the apartment, Dad’s car is in the lot.   
“So much for our plans. Dad’s home.”  
He wraps his arms around me and kisses my forehead before saying:  
“It’s okay. Can I still come in?”  
“Of course.”  
I take his hand and keep holding it as we walk into the apartment, despite his attempt to let go when he sees Dad in the kitchen.  
“Dad. You’re home early.”  
“Yeah. Caught the guy sooner than I thought I would.”  
He looks up then and sees Weevil. I watch him look at our joined hands, and expect him to say something, but he just says:  
“Eli.”  
“Sheriff.”

Dad looks at me and says:  
“Veronica? Something I should know?”  
“Yeah. Weevil and I are dating.”  
“Veronica…”  
“Father.”  
“Fine. You know the rules, I expect them to be followed.”  
“Yes, sir.”  
“I have to go to the office for a bit. Eli is welcome to stay for dinner.”  
“Okay.”  
He leaves the apartment and Weevil pulls me tight against him before kissing me.  
“Guess our plans still stand?”  
“Ha. That’s cute. You realize this is a test to see if we follow the rules right? He will be reappearing at random times and sending other people over to make sure we’re in the living room and fully dressed the whole time.”  
“Oh. So what do you want to do then?”  
“We can watch a movie.”  
“Do I get to hold you?”  
“Yeah. Cuddling is definitely required.”  
“This is probably for the best anyways.”  
“Why?”  
“V, you froze last night when I wrapped my arm around you. I don’t think you’re ready, and I don’t want to hurt you.”  
“You might be right, but…”  
He pulls me closer to himself and nuzzles my neck as he says:  
“But what?”  
I close my eyes and sigh before saying:  
“But I want you.”  
“And I want you. But V, I’m not going anywhere.”  
“…Okay. Let’s watch a movie.”

We put some random movie in and then he lies down on the couch and opens his arms for me. I lie down on top of him, the top of my head tucked under his chin, one of my hands on his neck next to my head and the other hand resting on his side. He closes his arms around me and starts running his fingers up and down my spine. We lie there quietly for a bit before he says in a low voice:  
“What were you actually going to say earlier? When I said I wasn’t going anywhere?”  
“Weevil…”  
“Literally can’t leave at the moment, babe. You’re lying on top of me.”  
“I was going to say that everyone leaves. And I was going to ask something…to clarify something really.”  
“Not everyone leaves. You just have skewed data thanks to assholes in your life and your job. What did you want to clarify?”

I take a deep breath and start anxiously fiddling with his shirt before saying:  
“I’ve never seen you with a girl at school, but obviously that doesn’t mean that you’re never with girls…What does that mean for me? Like, will you just put up with cuddling and kissing until I’m less broken, or should I just accept that you’ll be sleeping with other girls and not ask questions I don’t want to know the answers to?”

He sighs and tightens his arms around me before sitting up and pulling me into his lap. I end up straddling him and looking him in the eyes. He holds me in place and says:  
“Obviously I’ve been with other girls. But I have never cheated on a girl I’ve been in a relationship with. Why the hell would I start with you?”  
“Because, as you pointed out, I’m not ready to give you everything.”  
“Veronica…”  
He kisses me then, deep and lustful while he holds me down onto his lap so I can feel him harden beneath me. He barely pulls away from my mouth to say:  
“I am totally and completely yours. Even if you aren’t ready for all of me yet.”

I lean in a little bit and kiss him, allowing him to deepen the kiss as I run my hands over his head and neck. I rock my hips against him and we both moan. I keep kissing him and rocking my hips against him as he runs his hands up under my shirt, flicking his thumbs over my nipples. I gasp against his mouth and grind down against him as I rock my hips. He moves his mouth off of mine and groans:  
“Babe, if you keep that up I’m going to come in my pants and it’s going to be super embarrassing.”  
“I want you. Right now. Please.”  
“But the rules.”  
“I don’t care right now. Please, Eli.”  
He growls against my ear and says:  
“I really like you saying my name. But V, I don’t want your first time to be quick and dirty against a wall. I want to lay you down and worship your body.”  
“Save the worship for the second time.”  
“Here’s the thing babe, you’re just turned on and worked up right now. I think we should just take a minute or two to get ahold of ourselves.”  
“Fine. Let me up.”

He lets go of me and I stand up and walk into my bedroom and close the door. I sit on the corner of my bed, leaning against the walls, hugging a pillow to my chest. I close my eyes and sit there until my bedroom door opens.  
“Veronica, baby. I am not saying that I don’t want you. The fact that I do should be clear since I practically came in my pants from you sitting on my lap.”

I laugh and hold my hand out to him. He lies down on the bed with his head on the pillow I’m holding.  
“I’m just worried about us rushing into things. When you aren’t worked up you admit you aren’t ready. I don’t want you to regret having sex with me.”  
“I’m just afraid you won’t want to wait forever.”  
“V, I will wait however long I need to. If we date for the next year and you still aren’t ready, I will wait. I refuse to be the reason you felt pressured into something.”  
“You’re a pretty wonderful guy, you know that?”  
“I have my moments…With certain people.”  
“Why me? What makes me worthy of this Eli instead of the other one?”  
“You really don’t realize how fucking amazing you are, do you?”  
“You know that wasn’t actually an answer to my question, right?”  
“I know. Let’s go finish watching our movie.”  
I scoff at him as he gets up and pulls me up after him.  
“So I’m just not getting an answer then?”  
“The easiest way to annoy Veronica Mars…Fail to answer a question.”

I shake my head and say:  
“I hate you.”  
He smirks and pulls me closer to him for a kiss before saying:  
“That’s unfortunate because I’m pretty sure I love you.”  
He walks away as I stare after him, blinking. Once my brain works again, I follow him out to the living room. He looks at me as I walk in and says:  
“We should take Backup out.”  
“Sure. Let’s just not talk about that bombshell back there.”  
“I said what I needed to say. I’m not going to pressure you to say anything you don’t feel.”  
“Who are you right now? What did you do with the badass biker who makes inappropriate comments?”  
“I can be him if you really want me to. If this is too much for you, I can be the asshole who makes crude comments about your body and threatens you.”  
“Obviously that’s not what I want…I just didn’t realize…”  
“What? That I could be soft? That I have emotions other than anger and annoyance? Why can I see you behind your facade, but you can’t see me?”

Before I can say anything, he shakes his head and kisses my cheek before saying:  
“I’m going to go. I’ll call you later.”  
He leaves the apartment before I can even process what he just said. I stare at the apartment door for a moment, hoping he’ll come back, but when he doesn’t, I say:  
“Let’s go to the beach, Backup.”

I leave a note for Dad, and then Backup and I leave. 

We’re still at Dog Beach after it gets dark, even though Backup got tired of running around an hour or so after getting there. I hear someone walking up behind me before they sit down next to me. I don’t look at them, but I know it’s not Weevil.  
“Hey, Blondie.”  
“Hi, Felix.”  
“You really shouldn’t be here alone in the dark.”  
“I have Backup and my taser. I’m fine.”  
“Go home, Veronica.”  
“Thanks for your concern, Felix, but I’m good where I am.”  
“Come on, Blondie. Weevil wants you to go home. Don’t make me have to tell him that I can’t get one tiny girl to follow directions.”  
“Felix. If Weevil wants something, Weevil should talk to me rather than sending you to do his bidding. Go away.”

When he doesn’t leave, I stand up and say:  
“Come on, Backup. Let’s go.”

I walk to my car and put Backup in before getting in myself. As I drive out of the lot, I see Felix standing next to Weevil’s bike, talking to Weevil. I shake my head and roll my eyes as I drive by. On my way home I am aware that I’m being followed by two motorcycles, and I get more annoyed the longer it goes on. When I get home, I kiss Dad on the cheek and take my dinner into my room with me. I turn on music and put the bowl of chilli on the desk and go shower before sitting down to work on homework. My phone rings and I ignore it, that happens twice more while I’m working on the assignment I’m trying to finish, then I get a text:  
‘Talk to me, V.’

I turn my phone off and take my bowl to the kitchen. Once I’ve washed it, I go back to my room. I brush my teeth and turn the music up before lying on the floor and staring at the ceiling.

I hear the home phone ring and then my bedroom door opens. Dad looks at me, taking in my music, my position on the floor, and the tears rolling down my cheeks and rather than giving me the phone, he says:  
“I don’t think right now is a good time, Eli. I’ll get her to call you tomorrow.”

He hangs up and says:  
“What happened?”  
“I have no idea.”  
“If he shows up, do you want me to let him in?”  
“I suppose.”  
“Is there anything I can do?”  
“No.”  
“Not even ice cream?”  
“I’m not sad, Daddy. I just…I don’t know what I am.”  
“Okay.”

He turns around to leave the room and I say:  
“Dad?”  
“Yeah, kid?”  
“If he shows up, can you let him stay?”  
He looks at me for a moment and then says:  
“Yeah. Okay. But the door stays open.”  
“Thanks, Daddy.”

He leaves the room and I get up off the floor, turning down my music before climbing into bed. I fall asleep holding the pillow Weevil’s head was on earlier, but when I wake up a little while later, he’s in the bed next to me and my head is on his chest.  
“You came back.”  
“You kind of didn’t leave me a choice. You turned off your phone.”  
“I didn’t want to talk.”  
“Yeah. I got that. How’d you convince the Sheriff to let me spend the night?”  
“You’d be amazed at what he’ll agree to when I’m crying.”  
“Why were you crying?”  
“I don’t know.”  
“Think about it, V.”  
“I do see you, Eli. I see past the anger and crude comments. I know you have a softer side, I can see it in your eyes. I just didn’t realize how eager you’d be to drop the facade for me.”  
“That’s not why you were crying. That’s not why you sat on the beach for hours, alone.”  
“I love you…And that fucking terrifies me.”  
“Why?”  
“Because people I love leave me. Either by choice or by death.”  
“I’m not leaving you, babe.”  
“You can’t promise that. Duncan left me without any explanation. Lilly died. Logan left me and convinced everyone else to cut me out. And my Mom left. Everyone leaves.”  
“I’m not going to.”  
“Okay.”  
“Well, that’s an ‘I don’t actually believe you but I’m going to agree because I don’t want to fight about it’ okay if I ever heard one.”  
“You know me so well.”

He kisses the top of my head and says:  
“I love you. Go to sleep.”  
“Eli…”  
“Yes, Veronica?”  
“Will you take off your shirt?”  
“I think the Sheriff might have an issue with me taking off any of my clothes.”  
“I just want to feel your skin against mine. Please?”  
“Nothing else, V. I’d rather not be killed by your Dad.”  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

I shift off of him so he can sit up and take his shirt off. When he lays back down I put my head back on his chest and run my hand over his abdomen. When my hand strays too close to the waistband of his jeans he inhales sharply. I tilt my head up so I can look at his face and he whispers:  
“Veronica…”  
“I just want to touch you. As long as you’re quiet he’ll never know.”  
I lean up and kiss him as I undo the button on his jeans and pull down the zipper. He groans softly against my mouth when I slide my hand under the waistband of his boxers and wrap my fingers around him. I pull away from his mouth and whisper:  
“I want to jerk you off. I’ve never done this before though.”  
He kisses me again, and then lifts his hips up and pushes his jeans and boxers down. He wraps his hand around mine, adjusting how I’m holding him, and then starts moving our hands. He keeps kissing me, deepening the kiss and occasionally quietly moaning against my mouth. When he comes it’s with my name on his lips. I’m overcome with the urge to lick his come off of his stomach, so I shift my body and do just that, licking and kissing him clean before he roughly pulls me back up to kiss me again.   
“Did you like how I taste, V?”  
“Yeah…Very much so.”  
“Good.”

He pulls his pants back up and does up the zipper and the button before turning to me and saying:  
“It’s your turn now. How quiet can you be with my fingers on you, baby?”  
“I don’t know. But I’ll try my hardest.”  
“Good girl.”  
He reaches over and pulls my pyjama pants down before coaxing my legs apart. I whimper quietly as he runs his fingers over me for the first time, barely grazing my clit. He turns his hand so his thumb is pressing on my clit, rubbing circles and the tips of his index and middle fingers are barely brushing against my entrance. I arch my back at the feeling and whisper:  
“Please, Eli.”  
He kisses me as he slides his two fingers into me, continuing to rub circles on my clit. I grind down on his hand and moan against his mouth. He pulls off my mouth long enough to say:  
“God, V. You’re so tight.”  
“Benefits of practically being a virgin?”  
He smirks and says:  
“I’m going to make you come now. You cannot be loud. If you think you’re going to be loud, I want you to bite my neck instead.”  
“You think I’m going to be loud?”  
“I think you’re going to be a screamer, yeah. And after feeling how good you feel on my fingers, I do not want to die before I feel you on my cock.”  
“Okay.”

He shifts so I can easily bite his neck if I need to, and he starts pumping his fingers in and out of me. It’s not long at all before I feel my orgasm building, and instead of screaming when I come, I bite the juncture where his shoulder meets his neck. Afterwards, he pulls his fingers out of me and sucks my juices off of them before kissing me.  
“You taste so good, V. Can I lick you clean?”  
“Yes…Please.”

He moves down the bed and runs his tongue along me, gently lapping at me until I orgasm again, quietly whimpering his name. 

When he moves back up the bed, I pull my pyjama pants back on and say:  
“Wowza.”  
“I second the emotion, but I can’t bring myself to say the word.”  
“I’m so glad you came back.”  
“I will always come back, Veronica.”  
“I love you.”  
“I love you. Go to sleep now, I mean it this time.”  
“Okay…Bossy.”

We’re quiet for a little bit, and I think that he’s asleep, but then he says:  
“Come for a ride with me tomorrow. We’ll pack a picnic and get the hell out of Neptune for a while.”  
“That sounds lovely.”

I tilt my head up and kiss him before snuggling back into his chest and falling asleep.


	3. Three

The next morning it takes me a minute to remember why there’s a person in my bed with me, lying behind me, wrapped around me. I tense up while I’m trying to figure it out, and he must notice because he tightens his arms around me and whispers:  
“V, you’re safe. Go back to sleep, baby.”  
“I’m not tired anymore.”  
I grind my ass back into his crotch, enjoying the feeling of his morning erection against me. He groans and loosens his arms enough for me to roll over. Once I do, I kiss him and quickly undo the button and zipper on his jeans. I keep kissing him as I slide my hand into his boxers and wrap my fingers around him. He moans against my mouth as I jerk him off, and when he comes he whispers:  
“God, you’re a fast learner.”  
I move down the bed to lick his stomach off and then I do his pants back up. When I move back up the bed he kisses me again before pulling me back into his arms.  
“Go back to sleep, Veronica.”

There’s a light knock on the bedroom door, and Dad walks into the room. He says:  
“Eli, you’d better be wearing pants.”  
“I am, sheriff.”  
“Good. Veronica, I have to go to the office, and you have a visitor in the living room.”  
“Who is it?”  
“I don’t know…Male, pint-sized, twitchy. Looks familiar but I can’t place him.”  
“Ugh. It’s Justin. From the video store, Dad. He said he needed my help, I brushed him off yesterday. Didn’t expect him to show up here.”  
“Well, he’s in the living room.”  
“I’ll be right out.”

Dad nods and turns to leave but then says:  
“I think he has a crush on you. Eli might want to go to the living room with you. Maybe before putting the shirt on. Justin’s case might just…vanish.”  
“Yeah, okay. Oh, Dad?”  
“Yes, number one daughter?”  
“Weevil and I are going for a ride today, so I won’t be home until this evening.”  
“Okay.”

Dad leaves and I hear the front door open and close. I’m getting out of bed when I hear footsteps in the hallway. I’m standing next to the bed, pulling a sweater on and Weevil is still in bed with the sheet only covering his lower half when Justin walks in. He takes in the scene in front of him and says:  
“Sorry. I didn’t know you had company.”  
“Justin. My boyfriend being here doesn’t change the fact that you just walked into my bedroom uninvited. In fact, this situation might be even worse if Weevil wasn’t here.”  
“I’m sorry, I’ll go.”  
“Didn’t you want my help finding your Dad or something?”  
“I lied. My Dad’s dead. I just wanted to spend time with you, but you’re dating a pretty scary guy, so I’m just going to go.”  
“Probably for the best.”  
He leaves and I hear the front door open and close. I laugh and lean over Weevil before kissing him.  
“Stay right there.”

I walk out of my room and lock the front door before coming back and moving the sheet off of Weevil. I straddle him and then lean over and kiss him.  
“V, what are you doing?”  
“Well, I don’t know if you noticed, but Dad left the apartment knowing you were in my bed.”  
“And your point is?”  
“My point is, that negates the ‘must stay in the living room’ rule.”  
I lean down to kiss him again before saying:  
“I’d also like to point out that I am not worked up, and I’m thinking clearly.”  
“Noted.”  
“I want you. Please.”  
“Now?”  
“Yeah. Now. Make love to me Eli.”  
He growls and flips us so he’s on top of me.  
“Are you sure, V?”  
“Yes. Very much yes.”  
He kisses me and runs one of his hands down my body before getting up and saying:  
“Get up and take your clothes off.”

I get out of bed and take my pyjamas off before reaching for him. When I try to undo his pants he moves my hands.   
“What? Why can’t I?”  
“I told you. I’m going to lay you down and worship your body…Which, by the way…Holy shit baby.”  
“Is that a good holy shit or a bad holy shit?”  
“Definitely good.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him before saying:  
“I have a question.”  
“What’s that?”  
“Why can’t you do this body worshipping naked?”  
“That’s a valid question.”  
“Well, since it’s a valid question, can I take your pants off now, please?”

He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a condom, as he throws it on the bedside table, he says:  
“If you really want my pants off, fine.”  
“Goody.”  
I kiss him again and move my hands back to his pants, quickly undoing them and pushing them and his boxers off. He steps out of them and pushes me back onto the bed. Once I get settled in the middle of the bed, he climbs over me, kissing me lustfully before moving his mouth along my jaw and down my neck. He nibbles and kisses his way along my collarbone and down onto my breasts. He gives each breast equal attention with me writhing under him, desperate for pressure, the whole time. He moves down my stomach and settles between my legs. He gently bites the inside of my thigh and I call out. I feel him smirk against my leg and then he says:  
“I’m going to eat you out, and you’re going to scream for me.”  
“Oh? You think so, huh?”  
“No, baby. I know so.”  
“Well? What are you waiting for? I’m on a schedule here, vato.”  
He growls at me and I laugh as he puts his mouth on me. My laughter turns to gasping when he starts sucking on my clit, flicking his tongue over it when it’s not in his mouth. My hips lift off the bed on their own and I say:  
“Eli, please…more. I need more.”  
He puts his forearm across my hipbones to hold me down and reaches up with his other hand to intertwine our fingers. I feel him whisper, “I love you”, against me before sucking harder on my clit. When he grazes his teeth across it, I come screaming his name. He gently laps at me as I come down, then kisses his way back up my body. He kisses me and then smirks, saying:  
“I told you that you’d scream.”  
“Yes…Yes you did. Can you fuck me now please?”  
“Yes.”  
“Thank God.”  
“I’m good baby, but God might be overstating it.”  
I shake my head and smile a little.  
“What?”  
“You’re an idiot.”  
“But I’m your idiot.”  
“Well, that’s true.”  
“Hand me the condom.”

I hand it to him and kiss his neck as he slides it on. He lifts my legs up and I wrap them around his back. I feel him against my entrance when he says:  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes, please.”  
He leans in and kisses me as he slides into me. I gasp against his mouth when he bottoms out. He stays still for a moment to let me get used to him. When I’m good I kiss him and say:  
“Please, Eli.”  
I moan as he starts thrusting into me and he whispers against my ear:  
“You feel so good, baby.”  
I run my nails down his back and start matching him thrust for thrust, he gently bites my neck as he reaches down to rub my clit.  
“Come for me, V.”  
He kisses me as I orgasm, moaning his name against his mouth. He follows me over the edge and kisses me passionately. I drop my legs from around his back and he collapses onto me for a minute as we catch our breath. I run my hands over his head and down his neck and back as I say:  
“I love you, Eli.”  
“I love you.”  
“We should shower and get ready then we can go for our ride.”  
“Sounds good to me. Shower together?”  
“Well, there’s not enough hot water to shower separately.”  
“Ah, the ghetto. I am familiar with this problem.”

As we’re getting out of bed, there’s a knock at the front door. I wrap my robe around myself and say:  
“I’ll be right back.”  
I walk out to the living room and open the front door.   
“Deputy.”  
“Veronica, is your Daddy here?”  
“No.”  
“Well, that would explain why you look like you just received a good fucking.”  
I roll my eyes at him and move to close the door. He reaches over to me and wraps his fingers around the back of my neck.  
“Navarro is not safe for you to be around, Ronnie. He’s a criminal.”  
“I’m perfectly capable of deciding that for myself, Deputy.”  
He pulls me towards him and says:  
“I’m sorry about the way I acted after your rape, Veronica. One bad day doesn’t mean I don’t care about your safety.”  
“I don’t really care what you care about. Let me go.”  
“Navarro’s eighteen, right?”  
“No.”  
“Hmmm…I’m sure I can find something to take him in on.”  
“Seriously? Stay out of my life, deputy. If you’re looking for Dad, he’s at the office. Otherwise, just fuck off.”

I step back out of his grip and close and lock the door. When I go back into the bedroom, Weevil says:  
“Who was it?”  
“Lamb. Trying to convince me of the dangers of dating you.”  
“Why does he care so much?”  
I shrug.  
“A shrug isn’t an answer, Veronica.”  
“Well, I don’t know the answer Weevil. I don’t understand the inside of Don Lamb’s brain.”  
“Why do you do that?”  
“Do what?”  
“Only call me Eli when we’re being intimate?”  
“You normally go by Weevil, I just assumed that you’d want me to call you that. Do you not?”  
“You can call me Weevil if you want, but I really like the sound of you saying Eli.”  
“Well then, I’ll call you Eli.”  
“Good.”  
He reaches out and unties my bathrobe before pushing it off my shoulders.   
“Let’s go shower.”  
“Okay.”


	4. Four

The next week flies by. I’m working a case, so I don’t have a lot of spare time. My interactions with Eli are mostly late-night phone calls and stolen moments in the girls’ washroom at school. 

Logan is assembling a memorial video to play at the dedication of Lilly’s memorial fountain, so I give him a tape I have of fun times with Lilly, including the homecoming footage.

The evening of the dedication, I have to take pictures for the paper, but I notice Eli towards the back with Felix, so when I pass him I reach out and squeeze his hand before walking up to the front. While the video is playing, Logan and I exchange glances and grins, but my thoughts are with Eli. This was the Lilly he thought he loved, this has to be difficult for him. When I’m done taking pictures I head to where I saw him and Felix earlier, but they aren’t there. I pull out my phone and send him a message that says:  
‘Dad’s out of town. Come over tonight?’  
I get a response right away:  
‘Maybe. Spare key still in its usual spot?”  
I respond with:  
‘Yes. I love you.’  
I see the dots appear like he’s typing, but no response comes through. I put my phone away and drive home, checking my phone again before taking Backup out, but still no response. When I get home from walking Backup, I shower and go to bed, with still no message from Eli.

I wake up a while later to the feeling of someone climbing into bed with me.   
“You smell like a distillery. Will showering help or are you just so drunk it’s oozing out of your pores?”  
“I’m pretty drunk. I’m sorry, babe.”  
“You didn’t have to come over.”  
“I wanted to be near you.”  
“Well, as the daughter of a fucking alcoholic, I can’t sleep next to you like this. I’ll be on the couch.”

As I get up he says:  
“As the daughter of an alcoholic, you’d think the smell of booze would be a comfort to you. Remind you of runaway Mommy.”  
“Fuck you, Eli.”

I put on my shoes and sweater, shoving my keys and phone into my pockets. I leave the apartment, locking the door behind me, and walk down to the deck overlooking the ocean. I sit there, staring out over the ocean long after the sun rises. I dial Wallace’s number once it’s officially daytime and when he answers with a sleepy:  
“Veronica?”  
I say:  
“Do I have ‘use my ongoing trauma as ammunition while lashing out’ written on my forehead? Because it feels like I do.”  
“No. What’s going on?”  
I don’t say anything, and he says:  
“Supafly! What’s wrong?”  
I start to cry and say:  
“Why do people I love hurt me?”  
“Oh, Veronica.”  
“Sorry. Don’t mind me. I’ve been sitting and staring at the ocean all night. I think I became one with the darkness. I’ll be fine.”  
“What happened?”  
“Eli came over drunk last night. I told him I couldn’t sleep next to him like that, being the daughter of an alcoholic, it’s kind of a sore spot. He said that the smell of booze should be a comfort to me…remind me of mommy.”  
“This is the same dude who duct-taped me butt-naked to a flag pole, Veronica.”  
“But that was payback for his boys being arrested…This was just cruel. It’s what Logan does, and Lamb. I didn’t expect it from him.”  
“Yeah. Are you going to be okay?”  
“When am I not?”  
“Don’t go too hard on him. If he was really drunk it’s possible he doesn’t even know what he said.”  
“I guess. Go back to sleep Wallace.”

I hang up and walk back to the apartment, quietly letting myself in. I gather clothes and my bag from my room and change in Dad’s room before getting Backup and his leash and leaving the apartment again. We go to Dog Beach first and I let Backup run around before getting in the car to drive to the address I got from Lianne’s license plate when she met with Jake.

My phone starts ringing about an hour into my drive, but I don’t answer it. I drive for hours just to find out that Lianne isn’t there anymore, and her friend doesn’t know where she went. On the drive home I cry and come up with a plan. I’m going to mail prepaid phones to all of Mom’s friends, so maybe one of them will get to her.

When I get home, Dad’s car is in the lot, but so is Eli’s bike, Logan’s truck, and Lamb’s sheriff’s car. I walk in and Dad says:  
“Where the hell have you been?”  
“Arizona.”  
“Arizona? Why the hell were you…Oh. Was she?”  
“No. She’s gone again. I can’t do this. I need to be alone.”

I walk past them all, jerking my arm away from Eli when he tries to touch me, and go into my bedroom, locking the door behind me. I turn on music, loudly, and sink down in the corner before starting to cry. 

It takes me a long while to calm down enough to take my phone out and look at the missed calls and messages. I glance at them, then delete them all. I get up and turn off the music before stripping the bedding off of my bed and throwing it in a laundry basket. I walk out of my room, through the living room where Dad, Logan, and Eli are all still sitting, to the door. When I get to the door, I stop and turn around. I look at Logan and say:  
“Why the hell are you here?”  
“I was bringing back your tape and found Weevil freaking out that you were gone.”  
“Okay, but why are you still here? I’m back, and we aren’t friends anymore.”  
“You’re right. I forgot. Who was supposed to be in Arizona?”  
“My mother.”  
“But she wasn’t?”  
“Nope. She knew I’d come looking for her, so she ran away on me again. Feel free to add that to your ammunition the next time you want to hurt me.”  
I turn to look at Eli and say:  
“That goes for both of you.”

I leave the apartment and go to the laundry room, putting my bedding in the machines before sitting on the broken dryer in the corner and putting my headphones in. I must fall asleep, because when I look up next, Eli is transferring my bedding to the dryers. I take my headphones out and say:  
“I’ll do that. Go home.”  
“I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”  
“I think we talked enough last night.”  
“Where did you sleep last night? Because you weren’t with me, and you weren’t on the couch.”  
“I didn’t sleep. I sat on the deck and stared at the ocean all night.”  
“What happened last night?”  
“You showed up drunk.”  
“The memorial dedication was difficult.”  
“Yeah? I didn’t notice. It wasn’t difficult at all for me — Lilly’s best friend, or Logan —Lilly’s boyfriend, or Duncan —Lilly’s brother, or Celeste and Jake —Lilly’s parents. You are the only person who had a difficult time last night. Totally explains showing up at my house drunk.”  
“At least you get to publicly mourn her.”  
“Oh…yeah. I guess. You know what else I got? I got to see her lifeless body in person. I get to have nightmares on a practically daily basis about it. But you’re right. At least I can mourn her publicly…Except I can’t. Because every time I show the slightest weakness someone fucking uses it against me.”  
“Just Logan.”  
“Really? Were you channelling him last night then?”  
“I didn’t. I wouldn’t.”  
“Not Lilly. You wouldn’t use your precious Lilly against me. You just used my mom to try to hurt me. Please go home.”  
“V, I would never try to hurt you.”  
“Well, Eli, I don’t know what to tell you, because you did. I can’t do this right now. Please go home.”  
“Don’t send me away because of something I said when I was drunk. I don’t remember anything after leaving Felix’s. Please, Veronica. I love you.”  
“Fine. Stay. But I don’t have to talk to you.”

I put my headphones back in and turn up my music before leaning against the wall and closing my eyes. The next thing I know, his hands are on my neck and his mouth is on mine. I start crying as I kiss him back and he pulls my headphones out before pulling away from my mouth a little bit.  
“Don’t cry, baby.”  
“You can’t be drunk around me, Eli. I can’t handle it, and I can’t handle you saying hurtful things and then not remembering them. If you’re going to hurt me, I want you to be fully aware of it.”

He kisses me again and I pull away to say:  
“Am I just a replacement for her? Just Lilly’s reasonably cute best friend, naive enough to believe that you could love me after loving her?”

He looks at me as if I’ve grown a second head and says:  
“No-one in the world would describe you as naive, Veronica. And you are not a replacement for her. I thought I loved Lilly, but I am crazy amounts of in love with you.”  
“I am so mad at you for driving while you were drunk. Why didn’t you call me? I would have come to get you.”  
“Oh, my darling girl. I’m sorry. I’m just sorry about last night in general. Can we just pretend it didn’t happen?”  
“Yeah…I guess.”  
“Good, now…we have a little while until your bedding is dry, come sit with me.”  
He holds his hand out to me and I take it, allowing him to lead me to one of the lounge chairs by the pool. He sits down and pulls me into his lap, wrapping his arms around me before saying:  
“You should have woken me up this morning. I would have gone with you.”  
“I didn’t want you to.”  
“Because of what I said?”  
“Because when I left this morning I was fully intending on breaking up with you when I got home.”  
“You’ve changed your mind about that, right?”  
“I changed my mind about that while I was in Arizona. When I found out that Mom was gone, again, and that she had chosen not to tell her friend where so her friend couldn’t tell me. And all I wanted was you. All I wanted was for you to hold me. I’m not used to this feeling. I’m used to taking care of myself. I’m not used to needing someone else to comfort me. I don’t know how to deal with this.”  
“You love me.”  
“Yeah. I do. Like… A lot.”

I press my face into the side of his neck and breathe in deeply.   
“You smell like me…With like an underlying scent of you.”  
“Well, I had to shower, and all of your shower products smell like desserts…Coconut cookies and marshmallows.”  
“Maybe we should stock my shower with some of your products.”  
“Are you expecting me to need to shower in your bathroom a lot?”  
“Yes.”  
“You know my bed is bigger than yours, right?”  
“You remember that I’m a screamer, right? And that my father frequently leaves town?”  
“Valid point.”

I breathe deeply against his neck and start to cry.   
“I needed you last night. I looked for you after the dedication because I needed you. I messaged you because I needed you, but I didn’t want to seem pushy.”  
“Oh, my baby…I’m sorry. I’m sorry you came home to an empty house. I’m sorry I showed up drunk. I’m sorry I made things worse. Next time, just flat out tell me that you need me. I’m an idiot, I need things spelled out.”  
“Okay, let me spell it out for you…I am so very in love with you. Last night was really hard for me, and I needed you to hold me and love me. Today has been really hard for me. I need you to stay with me.”  
“I’m not going anywhere, Veronica.”

I hear Dad clear his throat and say:  
“Sorry, not accurate. I have to leave, so you will be leaving. I don’t want you spending the night tonight.”  
I turn and look at Dad and say:  
“Can I go stay at his house? Mrs. Navarro will be there.”  
“Fine. I trust that Lettie won’t let anything happen under her roof.”  
“When will you be home?”  
“Tomorrow evening. I’ll take Backup with me.”

Eli says:  
“I’ll bring V home after family dinner tomorrow night.”  
“Alright. No letting her run off to a different state again, okay?”  
“I’ll do my best, sheriff.”

Dad kisses my cheek and pats Eli’s shoulder and then walks away. I snuggle back into Eli’s neck and he says:  
“You’re coming to church with us in the morning.”  
“Church?!”  
“Yup. And then you’re going to come to family dinner so everyone can meet you.”  
“Do I have to wear a dress to church?”  
“No. In fact, I would recommend pants since we’ll be going on my bike.”  
“You’re lucky I love you…making me go to church.”  
“You won’t burst into flames.”  
“I might.”  
“Well, if you burst into flames I’ll never make you go to church again.”

I narrow my eyes at him and he laughs before kissing me. We sit there for a while, just kissing until Dad yells over:  
“I’m leaving now. Go home, Eli.”  
“Yes sir. V’s just gonna pack a bag.”

I get up and collect my bedding from the dryers and walk over to the apartment. When I get there, Eli’s already inside and Dad is gone. When I walk inside, Eli reaches past me and locks the door.  
“What are you doing?”  
“Your Dad’s right, Abuelita isn’t going to let anything happen in her house…at least nothing noisy.”  
“Oh…So what’s your plan here, Eli? The bed isn’t made.”  
“I’m going to fuck you against the wall.”  
“Oh. Okay.”  
“That’s all you have to say? Oh. Okay?”  
“Well, I’ve never done that before. What should I say?”  
“Yes, Eli. Please, Eli.”

I put the laundry basket down and walk up to him. I lick the side of his neck and bite his earlobe before whispering:  
“Take me any way you want to.”  
He growls and picks me up, wrapping my legs around his waist and carrying me into my room before closing the door. He puts me down and says:  
“Take off your pants and panties.”  
“Take your own advice there, buddy. Pants and boxers off.”

We both take off our pants and then he slides a condom on before picking me up again. He slides into me as he walks us back to the wall.   
“Can I be rougher with you?”  
“You can do whatever you want with me. I trust you.”  
He grins and then kisses me before starting to thrust quickly and roughly into me, causing me to slam into the wall with each thrust. I drag my nails over his back and moan when he hisses and thrusts harder. I kiss him and then whisper against his ear:  
“Don’t hold back. You’re not going to break me.”

I bite his neck and reach one of my hands down to rub and pinch my clit. I move my mouth off of his neck and come screaming as he makes one final thrust and I feel him twitching inside of me. He holds me in place afterwards, resting his head on my shoulder.  
“I love you so much, V.”  
“I love you.”

He puts me down and we get dressed again. I pack an overnight bag with church appropriate clothes and pyjamas and we leave the apartment, locking the door behind us.

When we get to Eli’s house we walk inside and Mrs. Navarro says:  
“Veronica, dear. How are you?”  
“I’m alright, Mrs. Navarro. How are you?”  
“Tired. This new family I’m working for is larger than the Echolls family and honestly…messier.”  
“Lynn always liked me, Mrs. Navarro…Do you want me to try to convince her to hire you back since you didn’t actually do what you were accused of?”  
“Oh, thank you dear, but no. I’m happy to be away from Mr. Echolls. I do feel bad for Logan though.”  
“He always did take the brunt of Aaron’s displeasure.”  
“Exactly…Well, you know best, dear. You cleaned Logan’s wounds more than most. That girlfriend of his was never helpful.”  
“Lilly was usually off in her own little world. If Logan was too injured to have sex with her, he just didn’t matter anymore. She had other guys waiting for her call.”  
“A lot of them. I’m sorry to speak ill of the dead, but she was a bit of a whore.”

Eli says:  
“Abuelita! Lilly was Veronica’s best friend.”  
I take his hand and squeeze before I say:  
“And as Lilly’s best friend I can say that your Grandma is kind of right, Eli. She did have a lot of guys she was sleeping with behind Logan’s back. So many in fact that I didn’t even know about all of them.”

My phone rings in my purse then, and I dig it out to see that it’s Logan calling.  
“Logan? What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry your Mom took off again, and if you need to talk, I’m here.”  
“Logan. If I need to talk to someone I will talk to one of my friends…well…friend….Wallace. I’ll talk to Wallace or I’ll talk to my boyfriend. I don’t need you.”  
“Ronnie. I know last night’s dedication was rough on you. And then your mom today…Let me be here for you.”  
“Logan…Do you remember Shelly’s year-end party last year?”  
“Yes.”  
“Good. Maybe you can fill me in. Because I don’t. The only things I remember from the party were someone handing me a drink when I walked in, Dick pouring shots down my throat, seeing your eyes and feeling safe, like you wouldn’t let anything happen to me, because we always took care of each other at parties…And then your voice saying: ‘why won’t you just break?’ So what happened?”  
“God, Ronnie. I don’t know why you don’t remember anything. But I encouraged them to use you as a salt lick. You kept reaching for me. Happy to see me, like I was going to save you. If you had just broken, just started crying, I would have made them stop. But you wouldn’t. Why wouldn’t you break?”  
“Because there was nothing left to break, Lo. You had already shattered me apart. And that’s why I can’t let you be here for me now. Don’t call me again.”

I hang up and put my phone away. I start crying and before Eli can wrap his arms around me, his grandmother already is.  
“Poor child. I had forgotten just how bad it got for you last year.”  
“Did you hear Logan’s side of the conversation?”  
Before she can answer, Eli growls:  
“Yes.”

Mrs. Navarro kisses me on the cheek, then releases me. I turn to face Eli and put my hand on his cheek.  
“You can’t kill him.”  
“Well, that’s not true.”  
“Fine…If you kill him you’ll go to prison because he’s the son of a movie star, and you…aren’t. And since I’m kind of in love with you and I’d like to stay on the same side of iron bars as you, please do not kill Logan. Besides, you and I both know that being used as a salt lick is not the worst thing that happened to me that night.”

Mrs. Navarro says:  
“What happened?”  
“I was raped…So being used as a salt lick? I can handle that.”  
“Did you report it?”  
“Yes. I was told they wouldn’t investigate because I had no proof. And then I was told to go see the wizard to get some backbone.”  
“Sheriff Lamb?”  
“Of course. He’s the worst.”

Eli says:  
“Veronica’s going to stay tonight, is that okay?”  
“Of course. You’re sleeping on the couch.”  
I say:  
“Mrs. Navarro, can Eli sleep in his bed with me? I promise nothing will happen, I just had a really rough night last night and a bad day today and could really use the safety and comfort I get from his arms. We can leave the door open if you want.”  
She looks at me and must see something in my eyes because she says:  
“Fine. But I want the door open…And you should know that I am a very light sleeper.”  
“Noted. Thank you.”

Eli takes my bag and my purse into his room and I say:  
“Mrs. Navarro, is there anything I can do to help tonight since I’m here? Clean something? Bake cookies?”  
“Do you know how to make snickerdoodles?”  
“Yes ma’am. You taught me when I was twelve.”  
“You’re right. I did. I was trying to teach Lynn, but that woman could burn water.”  
“Would you like me to make snickerdoodles?”  
“Yes, please, Veronica. They are Felix’s favourite and I promised him some after church tomorrow.”  
“Can I make them now?”  
“Yes. Felix is picking up pizza for dinner.”  
“Okay. I’ll go make cookies.”

I go into the kitchen and open cupboards and drawers until I find everything I need to make the cookies. When Eli walks in I am done making the dough and am starting to form the actual cookies. He sits in a kitchen chair and looks at me with fond amusement.  
“What?”  
“You’re in my kitchen making cookies.”  
“Your grandma promised Felix snickerdoodles after church tomorrow, and she’s tired, so I offered to make them.”

He gets up and walks up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing the back of my neck.  
“What was that for?”  
“I love you.”  
“I love you too. Go somewhere else. I can’t make cookies with you hanging all over me."  
“Yes ma’am.”

A little while later the cookies are done and cooling and I’ve cleaned the kitchen. I walk out to the living room to join everyone else and snag a piece of pizza. When I get in the room I realize that there are no seats open so I sit on Eli’s lap and he hands me a plate with two pieces of pizza on it.  
“I managed to save these from the vultures.”  
“Thanks, love.”  
Felix says:  
“Hey, Veronica…You made snickerdoodles, right? Can I have one?”  
“The coolest ones are on the right. Don’t burn yourself, I don’t want to listen to you whine.”  
“Wow…Feel the love.”  
I blow a kiss to him and wink as he leaves the room. Once I’m done my pizza, Eli takes the plate and puts it on the table next to him, and I curl into him, pressing my forehead into his neck. 

I’m starting to drift off thanks to no sleep last night and Eli’s steady breathing and heartbeat when I hear one of the women say:  
“Why is she here?”

Eli tenses under me and I shift slightly so I can put my hand on the other side of his neck. I run my thumb gently over his collarbone and he relaxes.   
Mrs. Navarro says:  
“She is here because your brother loves her. Also, I’m quite fond of her. You will be civil or you will leave my house. The poor child has had a rough year.”  
“Her Dad arrested all of the boys in our family more than once. She’s the reason Chardo can’t come home.”  
“It is not Sheriff Mars’ fault that our boys broke the law. And she is the reason that Eli is not in juvie for something he didn’t do. Chardo first allowed me and then allowed Eli to take the fall for something he did.”  
“I don’t want her here.”  
“She’s not leaving. If you do not want to be here with her, then you are welcome to go, my darling.”  
“I can’t believe you are siding with her. The only reason she’s even with Eli is that the 09er boys she used to whore herself out to don’t want her anymore.”

I feel tears running down my face, so I press my face tighter against Eli’s neck so no-one else notices. He gently runs his fingers along my spine and says:  
“She never whored herself out to anyone, and you have no idea why she’s with me. Stop being a bitch.”  
“Her best friend was a whore, you expect me to believe that she is a perfect bloody angel?”

I don’t move from where I am, but I say:  
“The only person I’ve had sex with willingly is Eli. Prior to that, the only sexual experience I had had was being raped at a party last year, and I was drugged prior, so I don’t even know who did it. I’m not Lilly. I understand that it’s difficult to separate who she was and who I am, but we were always different. The only boyfriend I had before Eli was Duncan Kane, and he and I never did more than kiss.”  
Everyone’s quiet, so I continue:  
“I’m sorry if I’ve done something to make you hate me. I’m sorry about Chardo, I am. But I couldn’t let Eli take the fall for something he didn’t do.”

I whisper to Eli:  
“I think I should go home.”  
“No. I’m not letting you be alone after the Lianne-whammy today. Your dad’s out of town and he took Backup. You are not going home.”  
“I’ll call Wallace. We’ll have a movie night and he’ll sleep on the couch so anyone who breaks in kills him first.”  
“No. You are staying here.”  
I move my head and kiss his cheek before saying:  
“No. I’m not.”  
I get up and go into Eli’s room to get my bag and purse then I walk into the living room and kiss Mrs. Navarro on the cheek before kissing Eli and saying:  
“I love you.”

I walk out of the house and spot a sheriff’s department car across the street with Sacks sitting in the driver’s seat. I walk over and knock on the window. When he opens it I say:  
“Sacks. What are you doing here?”  
“Your Dad asked me to keep an eye on you.”  
“I doubt he meant for you to sit outside the Navarro house in your cruiser, Jerry.”  
“Why do you have your bags? Aren’t you spending the night?”  
“No. I’m going home. Care to drive me?”  
“Yeah, get in kiddo.”

I get in the passenger seat and buckle my seatbelt before turning my head to look out the window.  
“Why are you crying, Veronica?”  
“It doesn’t matter.”

When we get to my apartment I say:  
“Thanks, Sacks. Go back to work. I’m fine.”  
“You call if you need something, okay?”  
“Yeah. Bye Sacks.”

I unlock the apartment door and retrieve the spare key from its hiding spot outside before going inside and locking the door behind me. I turn on the South Park movie, change into pyjamas and get myself ice cream before curling up in the armchair.

There’s a knock on the door about halfway through the movie and I ignore it. When there’s another knock five minutes later, I get up and turn off all the lights before curling back up in the chair. There’s another knock on the door and I hear Eli say:  
“Come on, V. Open the damn door.”

I put my bowl in the sink and open the door. I lean against the door frame and say:  
“Go home, Eli.”  
“Come with me. I don’t want you here alone.”  
“I’m fine, really. I shouldn’t have imposed with your family earlier. I didn’t think that anyone would have an issue with me, but logically…of course they do.”  
“Who the fuck cares if they have an issue with you?”  
“I do. I’m fine here. Sacks is sitting in the parking lot watching the apartment.”  
“Why?”  
“Dad told him to keep an eye on me. He took the instruction literally.”  
“If you won’t come home with me, let me stay here.”  
“Dad was very clear, Eli. I’m fine. I promise. I’m used to taking care of myself.”  
“I thought you were going to call Wallace.”  
“He’d have to lie to his mom. She doesn’t like me any more than your sister does. Apparently I’m a whore and a bad influence. At least that’s what the people at Kane Software tell her.”  
“You don’t have anywhere else you could stay?”  
“Guess you haven’t noticed…I’m not exactly flush with friends. There’s one place I know I could stay if you insist on me going somewhere, but you wouldn’t like it.”  
“No. I wouldn’t.”  
“Exactly. So I’ll just stay here.”  
“And you won’t let me stay?”  
“Nope.”  
"How about letting Felix sleep on the couch?”  
“Would that make you feel better?”  
“Yes.”  
“Would he be willing to?”  
I hear Felix say:  
“Yeah. Of course.”  
I shake my head and say:  
“Fine. If that’s what it will take for this conversation to be over, Felix can stay on the couch.”

I step to the side and let Felix walk into the apartment, then I wrap my arms around Eli’s neck and kiss him before saying:  
“I love you.”  
“I love you. I’ll be here at 7:30 to pick you up for church.”  
“Yeah…I’m not going to church.”  
“Yes, you are. Grandma wants you there.”  
“Fine.”

He leaves and I close and lock the door. I go and get blankets and pillows for Felix and show him where the bathroom is, then I say:  
“I’m going to bed. Goodnight, Felix.”  
“Night Blondie.”

I go to my room and close the door before I go brush my teeth and make my bed. Once my head hits the pillow I’m asleep pretty quickly. I wake up screaming and crying a couple of hours later after dreaming about Lilly. Felix comes rushing in before sitting on the edge of my bed and wrapping me in a hug. He holds me until I calm down, and then says:  
“Do you have nightmares every night?”  
“Except when Eli’s here. Don’t tell him. Please.”  
“V, I can’t not tell him. He’s my best friend and my boss. You are the girl he loves. I have to tell him.”  
“Felix…all telling him about my nightmares is going to do is upset him and put him at odds with my Dad when Eli insists on staying every night. Please…don’t tell him. They’re just dreams. I’m fine.”

There’s a knock on the door, so I get up to answer it. When I open it, Sacks is standing there.  
“Sacks? What?”  
“One of your neighbours called into the station concerned about you because there’s a strange man here and you screamed.”  
“I screamed because I had a nightmare. And that strange man is Felix…Eli’s best friend? He’s sleeping on the couch.”  
“Then why is he coming out of your bedroom?”  
“Because I had a nightmare. He came running in when I screamed. Which neighbour called?”  
“Sarah.”  
“I’ll talk to her in the morning. I’m fine Sacks. Seriously. Go home.”  
“Fine. Can I just say something first?”  
“Sure, Sacks.”  
“As someone who has known you your entire life, I have to point out that dating Navarro is a bit of a departure for you. I’m just worried about you.”  
“I appreciate your concern, Sacks. I do. But Eli is wonderful to me. He loves me, I love him. Yes, he’s not Duncan Kane…But, honestly? That’s a good thing. Duncan always wanted me to be something I’m not and then he just…vanished on me. Eli doesn’t try to change me, he just deals with my fucked-up-ness.”  
“You aren’t fucked up, Ronnie.”  
“That’s sweet but inaccurate. Go home, Jerry.”  
“Yeah. Okay.”  
He leans in and kisses my forehead before walking away. I close and lock the door before turning to see Felix sending a text message.  
“You’re telling him even after I asked you not to?”  
“I’m sorry Blondie.”  
“Fine. But if he shows up, he’s sleeping out here with you. I’m locking my door. Goodnight, Felix.”  
I walk into my room but don’t lock the door before climbing into bed. I wrap my arms around a teddy bear I got for my ninth birthday, and go to sleep.

When I wake up, it’s morning, I’m still holding the teddy bear, but now Eli is behind me, wrapped around me. When I shift to try to get out of bed he says:  
“Go back to sleep.”  
“But aren’t we going to church? I need to get ready.”  
“I told Abuelita we weren’t coming. We both slept like shit last night, just go back to sleep baby.”

There’s a knock on the door and he lets me go so I can answer it. I’m still holding the teddy bear when I open the door and see Lamb outside. He looks at me and smirks before he says:  
“Sometimes I forget how young you are. Is this the bear you always hold when you have a nightmare?”  
“Yes. Why?”  
“Because I got it for you. Don’t you remember?”  
“Clearly not. I remember getting it for my ninth birthday, but not that you gave it to me.”  
“I gave you teddy bears for all your birthdays between nine and fifteen.”  
“You did?”  
“Yes. Did you just block out every good memory we ever shared when I became sheriff?”  
“You becoming sheriff wasn’t the issue, Lamb.”  
“How can I make you trust me again?”  
“Give me unlimited access to Lilly’s murder file.”  
“Her killer is on death row, Veronica.”  
“I don’t think he is. But if you’re right, what does giving me access to the file hurt?”  
“And if you’re right and he didn’t do it?”  
“I’ll tell you who did and you arrest them.”  
“Fine. I’ll have the files delivered later today.”  
“I need a copy of the recording of the call pointing at him too.”  
“I know. You can’t have any of the physical evidence.”  
“There are pictures of the evidence in the files, right?”  
“Of course.”  
“Then I don’t need the physical evidence.”  
“Are you okay, Veronica?”  
“Peachy, Deputy. Go away.”

I close the door and turn around to see Eli standing there.  
“You don’t think the guy in prison killed Lilly?”  
“No.”  
“Why?”  
“Because she was alive two hours after her supposed time of death. Meaning either the time of death was altered, or her body was iced down to make it look like she had died earlier. The only people she was close to that have alibis for her proper time of death are you, me, and Logan. I think the Kanes either did it or think Duncan did it, so they iced her body so they’d all have alibis and paid Koontz to confess.”

I look him in the eyes and say:  
“I understand what Lilly meant to you, but I need you to promise me that no matter what I dig up in my investigation, you will not act on it. No attacking people, no going behind my back to question people. I need whoever killed Lilly to actually pay for it. Please.”  
“Fine. I promise.”  
“Thank you.”


	5. Five

A month later I know that Lilly’s shoes were planted on Koontz’s houseboat, which adds to my theory that he didn’t do it. 

I’m at school, getting out of the shower after gym class when I realize that all my clothes are gone from my locker. I eventually find them, in the toilet. Meg offers me something to wear — it’s nice to know that I have one friend at least — unfortunately, the only clothing she has in her locker is her cheerleading uniform. I put it on and we walk outside to wolf whistles. She asks if I want to eat lunch with them, but I opt to just go home and change instead.

As I’m walking through the parking lot, I hear Felix say:  
“Yo, Weevil. You really wanna take a picture of this man.”  
I turn to face them and tilt my head.  
“Felix…You do realize that I used to be on pep squad right? I wore one of these constantly.”  
Eli looks at me and says:  
“You were on the pep squad, V?”  
“Yes. Usually right next to Lilly. I can understand why you didn’t notice.”  
“Oh no. I definitely would have noticed this.”  
“Well, this had much longer, blonder hair, so maybe that’s why you didn’t notice.”  
“When did you cut it?”  
“After Shelly’s party.”

Felix says:  
“Oh. Shelly’s party last year was killer. Remember, Weevs? We saw that chick passed out on the chair by the pool and the guys were using her as a salt lick? That’s what you get for passing out at a party.”

I look at Eli and I can feel the tears in my eyes as I say:  
“You saw me at that party? You saw them using me as a salt lick? You knew I was passed out and you just…left me there? I was drugged. And at some point after you apparently just shrugged off what they were doing to me, I was raped.”  
“I didn’t know it was you, V.”  
“That’s not an excuse. You should have gotten any girl out of that situation. Your grandmother raised you better than that. Also, you knew a month ago that they had used me as a salt lick…You didn’t think, ‘oh, hey, maybe I should tell my girlfriend that I have this point of reference for her rape that she’s trying to solve’?”  
“V…”  
“I’m going home. Don’t follow me. And when I say don’t follow me, I also mean don’t send any of these guys after me.”

I go home and change into a swimsuit before putting Meg’s uniform in the wash. While it’s in, I lay in the sun and try to forget everything that happened today. Once the laundry is done I go back inside. I get changed again and head over to Wallace’s. 

Over the next couple of days, I work on the case of the purity tests and do my best to avoid Eli. As a consequence of this craziness, Meg and I become better friends, and I meet Mac, who seems like a seriously cool chick.

I got in to see Abel Koontz on death row, and he told me that Jake Kane is my father. When I left the prison — after I cried in my car for a while — I drove to Eli’s house. When he answers the door he doesn’t even look up before he says:  
“Oh, are you speaking to me again?”  
When I don’t say anything, he looks up and says:  
“Veronica. Baby, what happened?”  
“I went to see Koontz.”  
“Okay, but why are you crying?”  
“He told me that Jake Kane is my father.”  
“Is that possible?”  
“Jake and Lianne dated in high school…I don’t know…Maybe?”  
“How can I help?”  
“Can you just hold me?”  
“Yeah.”

We go inside and into his room, pushing the door closed behind us before lying down on the bed. Once my head is on his chest and his arms are around me he says:  
“Are you still mad at me?”  
“Yes…But no. I don’t know. I don’t want to be. I want you next to me all the time…I really, really hate sleeping without you. Maybe I should just let it go. The rape happened, there’s nothing I can do about it. Maybe I should just move on and not try to solve it.”  
“Baby, I love you, so don’t take this the wrong way, but have you ever let go of anything in your whole life?”  
I laugh and say:  
“Nope.”  
“I’m here for you…Whatever you need. And my boys and I don’t know anything else about the party. We all left shortly after that, we…”  
“Found chicks to hook up with so you went home?”  
“Yeah, sorry V.”  
“Don’t apologize. As long as you’re not hooking up with other chicks when you’re dating me, I’m cool.”

I stay with him for a few hours, just letting him hold me, then I head home. The next day I figure out that it was Kane Software’s head of security, Clarence, who took the pictures of me in the gunsight that I found in Mom’s safety deposit box. 

A few days later I start investigating the Moon Calf Collective on behalf of Casey Gant’s parents, they think there’s something wrong since Casey’s attitude has changed and he gave money to the collective. I also trick Dad into giving me blood for a paternity test. I almost chicken out when he refers to me as his “badass, action figure daughter”, but I get the blood and send in the test.

I do warn Eli before I start actively investigating that I might be spending time with Casey. The warning doesn’t stop him from getting increasingly jealous as the investigation goes on, however. 

On the second day of my investigation, I have a conversation with Casey in the hallway at school, and immediately after, Eli shoves me into the bathroom and barricades the door. Before I can say anything, his mouth is on mine and he’s undoing my pants. I push him back and say:  
“I’m not sure what you’re thinking here, but I am not having sex with you in this bathroom, Eli.”  
“You are mine.”  
“Yes. I am. I told you I was investigating the cult Casey joined. I told you it would involve me spending time with him. You can’t react like this, babe.”

I do my pants back up and wrap my arms around his neck before pulling him close to me so I can kiss him. When he seems like he’s about to pull away, I whisper, “no” against his lips and deepen the kiss. When we eventually pull apart I say:  
“I love you. Only you. You need to trust me.”  
“I trust you, Veronica. It’s fucking Casey Gant I don’t trust.”  
“Well, trust that I will not hesitate to taze him if he tries anything…Okay?”  
“Okay.”  
“In the future, if you feel the need to mark your territory, just kiss me in the hallway. No need for the bathroom dramatics.”

The next day, I go to the hospital to see Casey’s grandma with him. When I get home, Eli is leaning against my front door.   
“Where did you go with Casey after school?”  
“To see his dying grandmother in the hospital. Dad’s not home, you want to come in?”  
“Yeah. I do.”

We’re sitting at the counter in the kitchen when Dad gets home. I’m staring at a milk container with a picture of one of the girls from the compound on it. Dad says:  
“What’s going on?”  
Eli says:  
“I have no idea.”  
I turn the milk carton so Dad can see the picture and I say:  
“Recognize her? That’s Rain. One of the girls from the collective. She’s a runaway. A minor.”  
“So we need to call the Gant family.”  
“Wait, Dad. Just wait.”  
“We needed a break in the case and you just gave it to us. Don’t tell me the prospect of new digs and steady hot water doesn’t appeal to you. They are contributing to the delinquency of a minor.”  
“Come on Dad. You’ve listened to them. Do you honestly think they are corrupting anyone?”  
“Regardless of our opinions on the collective, the Gant family hired us to do a job. That job was to find information that could be used to start legal action against the collective. I have to tell our clients.”

The next morning, I go to Miss Mills at school to warn her about the Gant family and Rain’s picture on the milk carton, but Casey walks in crying before I can. His grandmother died. I don’t actually get to tell Miss Mills about Rain until the funeral. But when I talked to Dad later, he tells me he never actually told the Gant family about Rain. 

When Casey gets to school the day after his grandmother’s funeral he’s back to being his usual jackass 09er self.

When I get the paternity test results in the mail, I don’t open them. Instead, I shred them.


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly this chapter includes quite a bit of dialogue straight from the episode, but the poker game was handy as the transition between Eli being an ass to Veronica during the dice game (as he was in the show) and the next chapter, so...yeah.

Two weeks later, I’m trying to figure out how the hell I’m going to afford the Christmas gift I want to get for Dad when I see Duncan yell at Eli in the hallway about his laptop going missing. Eli walks off with his boys before I can talk to him, so I talk to Duncan.  
“Someone stole your laptop?”  
“There was this poker game last night at Logan’s. Weevil won five grand, and someone stole the money. This is his way of collecting.”  
“You lie down with dogs, you’re gonna get fleas.”  
“I didn’t invite him.”  
“Yeah, I wasn’t talking about Eli.”

I start to walk away and he follows me, saying:  
“Hey, this kind of concerns you.”  
“I don’t see how.”  
“I keep a journal on my laptop, last three years or so. There was a time you featured heavily.”  
“Please tell me you used a clever nickname.”  
“No. And I was…prolific.”

Duncan walks away and I go in search of Eli. I find him in a dark classroom with his boys playing a dice game. I walk in, tilt my head and say:  
“Hey.”  
He laughs and says:  
“See? There you go with that head-tilt thing. You think you’re all badass, but whenever you want something it’s all ‘hey’.”  
“Just be grateful I don’t flip my hair. I’d own you.”  
“You already do, babe. What do you want?”  
“I want you to not get busted stealing 09ers’ stuff and let me handle this poker thing. Seriously, why risk it? Give Duncan back his computer. Let me handle this.”  
“Could you? Please, Veronica. Protect me from the big, bad, sweater-vest-wearing rich boys.”  
“I’m just trying to help.”  
“In what alternate universe does it look like I need your help, huh?”  
I put my hands up in defeat and walk towards the door. When I get there he says:  
“Of course, if I get my five grand, some of those guys will stop losing their stuff.”  
I turn around and say:  
“Why were you even there?”  
He stands up and walks towards me while saying:  
“I hear about a $5000 card game played by idiots…I’m interested. Logan thought I was just some dumb Mexican he could take for his cash.”  
“Who do you think did it? Did Logan do it?”  
“I know no-one left the house with the money. Logan could have hidden it anywhere. And he had the opportunity. Lynn decided to take a swim in an itty-bitty bikini. Everyone but Logan was at the window watching. The money was in that house somewhere. I would have torn the place apart if I didn’t think he’d have called the cops.”  
“Okay. I’ll talk to the other idiots…Even though you don’t need my help.”

I turn around and walk out of the classroom and down the hall. I find Duncan and say:  
“Good news. I might be able to get your laptop back.”  
“So, is this like, a case?”  
“Like the case of the guy who’s too lazy to journal by hand like everyone else.”  
Duncan laughs and I say:  
“So, any details you can give me?”  
“You’re serious.”  
“Were you a little surprised that Eli was even there?”  
“As a matter of fact, I was. Although I’m more surprised you didn’t know he was there until I told you.”  
“Yeah. You and me both, buddy. Do you think Logan invited Eli there to steal his money?”  
“No.”

When Dad sends me over to the Echolls’ house with papers for Lynn, I stop by the pool house to talk to Logan. He was his usual jackass self but did get me in contact with Connor, another person who was at the game.

I head over to the movie set to speak to Connor. After a brief conversation about the shininess of his abs (during which I had to fight to control the drooling over said abs), I say:  
“Logan told me you were at the poker game.”  
“Oh yeah. That was fun.”  
“I heard it got weird. Someone stole all the money?”  
“Yeah, I feel sorry for the kid who won, too. He was pretty cool. He was real. You know what I’m saying?”  
I smile and say:  
“Yeah. He’s my boyfriend. Any idea who took it?”  
“Could have been anyone.”  
“As I understand it, no-one left the room, and it wouldn’t have been possible for anyone to walk out with the cash on them.”  
“There was one guy who left the room with cash…The pizza delivery guy. Anyone could have gotten his hands on the money box. There were plenty of times. Bathroom breaks, beer breaks…”  
“Lynn Echolls breaks?”  
“Oh yeah, you heard about that, huh? I hope your boyfriend was the one who told you, and not someone else.”  
“Yeah. He was.”

When Connor walks away I call Wallace for Sean’s home address. When I get to his house, his Dad answers the door in a suit in the middle of the day…Strange.

When Sean gets to school the next day, I’m waiting to talk to him.  
“Good morning.”  
“Maybe in your world. In mine, I’m down one Rolex. The criminal element found its way into my gym bag yesterday.”  
“Maybe you missed that eye-for-an-eye section in your bible.”  
“This isn’t retribution, it’s thievery.”  
“Eli didn’t start this. It’s not his fault someone stole the money.”  
“Of course you think that. You’re fucking him.”  
“Why would Eli steal his own money?”  
“You should really consider another profession. Maybe he stole the money before he knew he was going to win. Right before Mrs. Echolls got wet and wild, he was down to his last two chips.”  
“I heard you weren’t doing so hot, either.”  
“Yeah, but the difference is, I don’t need the money.”  
As he walks away I desperately want to punch him in his smug face.

At lunch, Eli and I approach the table where Sean, Logan, and Duncan are eating and I look at Logan as I say:  
“Good news, Bad news. The good news is, I know who stole the money. The bad news is, *I* know who stole the money. Here’s my brilliant idea. You are going to host another poker game.”  
“Really?”  
“I’m thinking tonight.”  
“My mother’s Christmas party is tonight.”  
“So no BYOB then.”  
“Here’s how it will go down. I’ll tell you who did it, and you’ll buy me into the game. I’ll just take the spot of whoever stole the money.”  
“Even if you keep talking, it’s not going to happen.”  
“Oh. I thought you guys might all want your stuff back.”  
Eli says:  
“Yeah. If I get my five grand, things might start reappearing.”  
I say:  
“And if you think about it, anyone who doesn’t see this as a great offer is obviously guilty.”  
Logan says:  
“Do you even know how to play poker?”  
I say:  
“No. But it must be really hard if all you guys play.”

When I get to Logan’s later, the guys are all already there. Eli offers me a soda, but I say:  
“I think I want something with a little more kick.”  
Then I start chugging from the Jack bottle sitting next to Duncan.  
“Mmm…iced tea. How very musical theatre of you, Duncan. You see, Duncan can’t say the alphabet when he’s drunk, let alone calculate 20% of a pizza bill. He wasn’t playing drunk to steal the money, he was playing drunk to win the money…To no avail, it seems.”

As I walk around the table, I continue:  
“Oh, and Connor isn’t a drug addict. He’s just drinking a diuretic tea, the kind actors use when they need to be shirtless on the cover of a magazine.”

Then I look at Logan and say:  
“Then there’s bachelor number three. He’s got it all, motive access…looks like an evildoer, smells like an evildoer, but surprisingly, not so much. Eli cleared him. Eli said he didn’t get to search in here as much as he’d like, but when I got here it looked like the FBI had raided it.”

“So two left. The boy from the wrong side of the tracks, and the boy who lives in the most expensive house in the 09er zip. So, you want to hear how Sean did it? He’s a crafty little bugger. He knew he couldn’t leave with the money, so he didn’t. He shoved it into one of those bigmouth joes bottles, then just waited for the recycling to go out the next day.”  
“Sean? The guy has a chauffeur drive him to school every day.”  
“Yeah…He’s the butler’s son…Which, admittedly irked me a bit. I was *this* close to being able to say the butler did it.”  
Sean says:  
“That doesn’t prove anything.”  
“You’re right, but the background check I ran on you shows that you’re got a bit of a shoplifting problem…Also, you’re really bad at it.”

All the guys glare at Sean and he chuckles nervously.  
“I can totally pay you. I have the money. I can get it right now.”  
Eli says:  
“Let’s go have a chat.”  
He puts his hand on the back of Sean’s neck and walks him out of the poolhouse.

I sit down with the boys and say:  
“Mind if I deal first?”  
We play poker until the guys all decide we need a break because I’m winning.  
Connor says:  
“You must be really unlucky in love.”  
I laugh and say:  
“I don’t know…Eli? Am I?”  
He just looks at me exasperatedly.  
Logan says:  
“Let’s take some time. Let the cosmos realign.”

We decide to head to the party to get food. While Eli and I are getting our food, he says:  
“Seriously, don’t I just blend right in?”  
“I think we both stand out a bit.”  
“Are you kidding me? You’re a natural at this. I mean, you’re not in the kitchen baking cookies comfortable, but you fit.”

I see Jake walking into a private room and I say:  
“Can you hold my plate for a second?”  
“Yeah.”

I follow Jake into the room and close the door. I ask him about the pictures. He denies getting Clarence to take them. I tell him I don’t believe him, but when he walks out of the room, he grabs Celeste’s arm and says:  
“What did you do?”  
Then he drags her out of the party. The party and the poker game end after that, as Aaron Echolls gets stabbed.


	7. Seven

The next day, Eli shows up at the apartment. When I answer the door he says:  
“Can I come in?”  
“I suppose.”

We go into the living room and sit down. I sit in the armchair and he sighs before sitting on the couch.  
“The case is over, V. Can I have my girlfriend back?”  
“It’s not like you don’t have me now, I just really don’t like the way you spoke to me when I offered to help.”  
“I’m sorry, baby. I was pissed off and I took it out on you and I shouldn’t have.”  
“No shit.”  
“I’m sorry, Veronica. It seemed like you only wanted to help because I took Duncan’s laptop.”  
“Yeah…At first. Babe, you didn’t even tell me you were going to the game. You didn’t tell me you won, you didn’t tell me someone stole the money. You didn’t tell me anything. I was trying to get Duncan’s laptop back because the idiot writes a journal on it…and apparently he was…prolific while discussing me. I didn’t want it to get out.”  
“I would have never.”  
“I know you wouldn’t have. But it’s safer with the idiot than anyone else.”

I get up from the chair and move onto his lap. I wrap my arms around his neck and rest my forehead on his before saying:  
“I love you. I know you don’t need protection from the fucking 09ers. But I’m kind of good at investigating shit, and I wanted to help you.”  
“I love you.”  
“Good. Then don’t treat me how you did that day and we’ll be fucking golden.”  
“I won’t. At least…I’ll try not to.”  
“Good. Now, Dad’s not here and he won’t be back for hours. Why don’t you show me how much you love me?”  
He kisses me and stands up, carrying me to my bedroom. He kicks the door closed behind us and puts me down. We quickly take our clothes off and he picks me back up and lays me down on the bed. We must take too long on the foreplay or lose track of time because we’re right in the middle of making love, in fact, I’m very loudly moaning Eli’s name when we hear Dad come in the apartment. I hear him walk down the hallway as I try to quietly gasp my way through the orgasm I’m in the middle of. He says:  
“I’m leaving. I’ll be back in twenty minutes. I expect everyone to be dressed and in the living room.”  
We hear him leave the apartment again and Eli says:  
“What should we do? Stop?”  
“Hell no.”  
“Okay, baby. If you say so.”  
We finish and get dressed with time to spare (not a lot of time, but still…). 

We’re in the living room when Dad gets back. He glares at both of us and says:  
“You know the rules. Both of you know the rules.”  
Eli says:  
“I’m sorry, sheriff.”  
I say:  
“Don’t blame Eli, Dad. It’s my fault.”  
Dad shakes his head and says:  
“No, I think you’re both equally to blame. But, I also think we need to adjust the rules. Obviously this relationship is a more mature one than you had with Duncan, and I don’t want to drive you two out of the safety of the house. So, as long as you’re being safe, and I don’t have to hear it, the rule banning sex in the house can be lifted.”  
“Can we lift the ban on sleepovers too? The only nights I don’t have nightmares are the ones when Eli is here.”  
“So basically you’re asking if Eli can move in.”

I look at Eli and say:  
“Is that what I’m asking?”  
“Hell yes, it is.”  
I look at Dad and say:  
“Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m asking.”  
“Fine. No PCH business in this house, Eli.”  
Eli looks at Dad and says:  
“Yes, sir.”  
I look at both of them in disbelief and say:  
“Well, I guess I better go make space in my room…We might need a bigger bed too.”  
Eli looks at me with a raised eyebrow and says:  
“You think?”  
“Okay, fine. We need a bigger bed.”  
“It’s a good thing I have one at Grandma’s house, huh?”


	8. Eight

By the time I’m arrested for making fake IDs, Eli has been living with us for a month. We alternate taking my car or his bike to school, depending on the outfit I’m wearing that day (no skirts on the bike) or what plans one of us has after school. The day I’m arrested, we had brought my car, so I had the keys. I had to dig them out and hand them to Mr. C before being cuffed. While I do so, I say:  
“Can you give these to Eli, Mr. C? We brought my car today so without them, he can’t get home.”  
“Sure, Veronica.”

As we’re walking out of the school, Lamb says:  
“So Daddy’s out of town, huh? That why Navarro spent the night?”  
“Deputy…He didn’t spend the night. He moved in a month ago. With Dad’s full consent.”  
“What?!”  
“Maybe you don’t know your former mentor as well as you thought.”

After Cliff bails me out I dedicate all of my newly acquired free time to figure out who framed me for the fake IDs. Once I figure out that the person who framed me was the original kid who pointed the finger at me…Rick. I decide to prove it to Lamb by sitting in his office all day while they attempt to get a fake ID made.

By the end of the day, Rick had been arrested, I had been cleared, and Lynn Echolls had committed suicide.

A couple of days later, Logan shows up at the apartment and asks me to help find his mother. He doesn’t believe she’s dead. After he leaves, Eli says:  
“You have to help him V. If you don’t he’s just going to go off half-cocked and end up in a world of heartbreak when he realizes she’s actually gone.”  
“But she is gone, Eli. I don’t want him to keep thinking otherwise.”  
“So help him. You’ll be able to get him through the stages of acceptance faster than most.”  
“Why do you care so much? You hate Logan.”  
He shrugs and says:  
“It’s his Mom.”  
“Okay. I’ll help him.”

————————

Logan and I go back and forth about whether his Mom is alive or not, but when we discover that the activity on her credit card is actually his sister Trina, he realizes that Lynn is really gone and he cries in my arms in the lobby of the Neptune Grand. 

—————————

The next few months are chaotic. I find Mom, send her to rehab (blowing all of my University money on it). Mom leaves rehab, comes home, steals $50,000 from me before she leaves again. I get kidnapped, Logan comes to my rescue, Logan kisses me, Eli punches Logan. Duncan leaves town, Duncan comes back to town (with some urging from Dad). We find out Logan doesn’t have an alibi for Lilly’s death. Duncan and I find tapes of Lilly having sex with Aaron Echolls. Aaron Echolls tries to kill me to get the tapes…And Eli breaks his promise to me.

The night that Aaron tries to kill me and successfully hospitalizes Dad, Eli and the other PCHers jump Logan. Eli gets knocked out right away, so he has no idea what happened. But by the end of the night, Felix is dead and Logan has been arrested for murder. When Eli gets home the next morning, I have his things packed and sitting by the door.  
“What is this?”  
“You broke your promise, and now Felix is dead and Logan is in jail for a murder he didn’t commit. You promised me you wouldn’t go after anyone while I was still investigating. Logan didn’t kill Lilly. Aaron did. She was fucking him. He taped it. She found the tapes and took them. She must have threatened to go to the press. That’s why he killed her. That’s why he tried to kill me last night when he realized I had the tapes. That’s why Dad is in the hospital right now.”

I shake my head and say:  
“If you had just kept your promise to me, rather than going into a fury to avenge the death of a girl who didn’t love you, Felix would still be alive. I don’t know who killed him, but I know it wasn’t Logan.”  
“So you’re kicking me out and siding with Logan?”  
“He’s innocent and you broke your promise.”  
“You don’t know that he’s innocent.”  
“You’re right…I don’t know. But I can feel it in my soul. He did not kill Felix.”  
“Veronica…I love you.”  
“I love you too. I just can’t do this right now. I have to prove that Logan didn’t kill Felix.”


	9. Nine

Eli moved out, and we broke up. I was by Logan’s side the whole time he was in custody, and when they dropped the charges, Logan and I started dating. I broke up with him when he and Dick escalated the feud between the 09ers and the PCHers by burning down the community pool. Shortly after my birthday in August, I started dating Duncan. 

The first few weeks of school were awful. I was dating Duncan, but I felt Eli’s eyes on me constantly. Every time I walked near him in the hallway I wanted to reach out and touch him. 

The day of the bus crash, I rode on the bus on the way home instead of in the limo with Duncan so I could try to talk to Meg. She was so angry at me, and when we stopped at the gas station, the bus left without me. Eli had been in the parking lot too, and he drove off without me, but then he came back and handed me his helmet. When I climbed onto the bike behind him I couldn’t breathe. Wrapping my arms around him felt so right. It was the first time we had touched in months.

When we saw the crash site, we stopped and I got off the bike to hug Duncan. When I turned back, Eli was gone. 

Later that afternoon I was alone in the apartment, Dad was out with Wallace’s mom, and there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, I found Eli standing outside. 

Before I realize what I’m doing I’m grabbing Eli’s neck and pulling him towards me and kissing him. He moans against my lips and wraps his arms around me, kicking the door closed behind him before picking me up and carrying me to my room. When he puts me down we take our clothes off quickly, separating our lips as little as possible. He slides a condom on before picking me up and sliding into me in one motion. He climbs onto the bed, still lodged inside of me, and lays me down. We keep kissing as I match him thrust for slow, deep thrust. I run my hands over his head, neck, and back before finding his hands and intertwining our fingers. When I orgasm it’s gentle and drawn out. I moan his name against his mouth and when he moves his mouth to my neck I whisper:  
“I love you. So much. I miss you.”  
He comes moaning my name against my ear before he says:  
“I love you. I miss you. I’m so happy you weren’t on that bus.”  
When I look at his face, he has tears streaming down his cheeks. He kisses me, then gets up, gets dressed and leaves the apartment. 

I get up and get in the shower before collapsing to the floor and sobbing. I don’t know if I’m crying for those kids on the bus, for Meg in the hospital, for cheating on Duncan, or because Eli is gone again. I cry until I have no more tears, long after the water turns icy. I eventually get out and dry off before putting on pyjamas and going to sit in the living room. I sit there and stare at the wall for hours until Dad gets home.   
“I’m surprised to see you here, Veronica. I expected that you’d be with Duncan tonight.”  
“I need to break up with Duncan. I just don’t have the emotional capability today.”  
“Why?”  
“Why do I need to break up with him?”  
“Yes.”  
“I don’t love him. I love Eli.”  
“Did something happen with you and Eli today?”  
“Yes.”  
“You cheated on Duncan?”  
“I didn’t plan to or mean to…”  
“I’m disappointed in you, Veronica.”  
“I know.”

I get up and go into my room before quickly changing into jeans and a t-shirt. I put my shoes on and grab my purse. I walk through the living room saying:  
“Don’t wait up.”  
“Break up with Duncan before you go to Eli.”  
“I know.”  
I leave the apartment and get in my car. I drive to the Neptune Grand and go up to Duncan’s room, knocking on the door when I get there. When he answers he’s in pyjama pants and no shirt. He tries to pull me in for a kiss, but I stop him saying:  
“We need to talk.”  
“That sounds ominous.”  
“I’m sorry, Duncan. I thought this would work. That we could go back to how we were before, but I’m a different person than I used to be…I don’t love you how you deserve to be loved.”  
“You love Weevil.”  
“Yeah. I do.”  
“Okay. Consider us officially broken up. I would like to stay friends this time though.”  
“I’d like that too.”  
I lean in and kiss his cheek before I turn around. As I’m walking down the hall, he says:  
“Did you cheat on me?”  
“Yes. I didn’t intend to, but it happened. I’m sorry.”  
“Thank you for being honest.”  
“Goodnight, Duncan.”  
“Goodnight, Veronica.”

I leave the hotel and get back in my car. I send a message to Eli saying:  
‘Can I come see you?’  
‘You should probably go see your boyfriend.’  
‘I just did. He’s not my boyfriend anymore.’  
‘Why?’  
‘Because I don’t love him. I never loved him. I love you. I’ve always loved you.’  
It takes what seems like forever to get a response. He says:  
‘I don’t think it’s a good idea.’  
‘Okay. You know where to find me if you change your mind.’ 

I put my phone down, and drive to Dog Beach. I grab a blanket from my trunk and wrap it around myself as I walk over to the sand and sit down. I put my headphones in and listen to music quietly while I stare at the ocean. I sit there for hours and start crying around dawn. 

A little after dawn, someone sits down next to me and wraps his arm around me, pulling me tight against his side. When I realize it’s Wallace I remove my headphones and lean my head against his shoulder.   
“How’d you know where to find me?”  
“Girl, I know you like I know my own mind. When you need to think, you come here. I wish you wouldn’t sit out here alone at night though.”  
“No-one’s going to hurt me, Papa Bear.”  
“Whatever you say, Supafly. We have school in a couple of hours. How about we go home and get you some clothes you haven’t sat in all night?”  
“I’m not going.”  
“Yes, you are.”  
“I cheated on Duncan yesterday after the bus crash…Then I broke up with Duncan.”  
“Which is the proper response to cheating on someone. You have me, Supafly. Everything will be fine at school today. Come on. Up, girl.”

We get up and walk over to my car. Wallace drive us back to my apartment. Once we’re inside he says:  
“I’ll make you some breakfast. Go shower and get dressed. Wear that outfit you wore to the gaming club last year…He’ll be putty in your hands.”  
I roll my eyes, but after my shower I find myself putting on the plaid miniskirt, button-up white blouse, tie, white knee socks, black fingerless gloves, and black shoes. I pin my hair up in a flippy, messy updo and put on dark eyeliner and clear lipgloss before walking out of my room.

Wallace looks at me and says:  
“Damn girl.”  
“I’m just wearing what you told me to wear.”  
“I didn’t expect you to listen, but I’m glad you did.”

I quickly eat breakfast, then we leave for school. When we walk from the car, he walks with his hand on my lower back.  
“Are you afraid I’m going to bolt?”  
“Yup.”

When we walk into the school we have to separate as our classes are nowhere near each other. As I’m walking to class, I feel hands on my waist and hear Logan’s voice in my ear saying:  
“What the hell are you wearing?”  
“What Wallace told me to.”  
“He should choose your clothes more often. Has Duncan seen you yet?”  
“I don’t know. We broke up last night.”  
“You should come to my life is short party tonight.”  
“A bunch of poor kids die and the 09ers throw a party…Why am I not surprised?”  
“You know you want to come. You can get drunk, I’ll keep an eye on you this time. You can sleep in one of the guest rooms. You know they all lock.”  
“Fine.”  
“Wear this?”  
“No. But I’ll wear something good. Now go bother someone else.”  
“Yes ma’am. By the way, I think the socks are my favourite part of this outfit.”  
“Of course they are. I remember your reaction to my soccer uniform.”

He walks away and I go to class. I sit at the back of the room and try desperately to stay awake. The rest of the morning passes in a blur, and when the bell rings for lunch I head to my usual table with Wallace. As I’m passing the girls’ bathroom, I’m pulled inside.  
“What are you wearing?”  
“Clothing?”  
“Not exactly your usual style, V.”  
“So?”  
“I had a breakup of my own to handle.”  
I shrug and say:  
“Okay.”  
“You’re exceptionally talkative today.”  
“I had a bit of a rough day yesterday. I’m tired.”  
“Didn’t you sleep last night?”  
“No. I was at Dog Beach all night. I needed to think. Wallace fetched me just after dawn, and he’s the one who picked my outfit today.”  
“You were there all night, alone? Something could have happened to you.”  
“Could have. Didn’t.”

He steps towards me and puts his hands on my neck, running his thumbs over my jaw.   
“What’s wrong, V? This isn’t just you being tired.”  
“Why did you come over yesterday?”  
“I needed to see you, to hold you. To reassure myself that I wasn’t imagining giving you a ride, that you weren’t actually on that bus.”  
“You shouldn’t have come over.”  
“Why?”  
“Because we both cheated.”  
“I know. And that sucks, but it happened, it’s over. You broke up with Duncan, I broke up with the girl I was seeing.”  
“I still feel awful though.”  
“I know, baby. I do too.”

I lean in and kiss him lustfully until we’re both gasping for breath.   
“I love you. I don’t regret making love with you. I regret not breaking up with Duncan first.”  
“I love you.”  
I kiss him again and then say:  
“I’m going to skip the afternoon. I need sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”  
I start to walk away and he says:  
“Okay…Hey, V?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Can I keep you?”  
“Intentional Casper reference, or accidental?”  
“Intentional.”  
“I’m yours, Eli.”  
“Can I move back home?”  
“We’ll talk. Dad’s pretty upset with me about the whole cheating thing right now.”  
“What are you doing tonight?”  
“Going to a party.”  
“Logan’s life is short party?”  
“Yeah. He talked me into it.”  
“Any chance I can talk you out of it?”  
“Maybe…What do you suggest instead?”  
“A date? Dinner and a movie?”  
“An actual, legitimate date?”  
“Yeah.”  
“And afterwards?”  
“Home?”  
“Hmmm…Like I said, Dad’s pissed.”  
“Think about it this afternoon and talk to him. I just want to be with you and hold you.”  
“Let’s get a hotel room instead. Come with me now, we’ll get a room and check out tomorrow morning.”  
“I can’t skip the afternoon. Why don’t you go home, nap, and book the room? I’ll pick you up after school.”  
“Okay.”

I walk out of the bathroom and find Wallace to say goodbye before I leave school. I go home and make an online reservation for a room at the Neptune Grand for tonight. I then send Logan a message saying:  
‘I’m not coming tonight. Have fun for me too.’

I wash my face and change into my pyjamas before climbing into bed and going to sleep. When I wake up, Eli is on top of me in bed kissing me.  
“Hi.”  
“Good morning, sleeping beauty. You ready for our grand adventure?”  
“I need to put clothes on and pack a bag. Give me five minutes?”  
“Yeah. I’ll go talk to your Dad. He’s not mad, by the way. Just disappointed in us.”  
“I’m disappointed in us too.”  
“It’s done, babe. Get dressed, pack your bag.”  
“Okay.”

He leaves the room and I get up and change into jeans and a sweater before packing a bag with clothes for tomorrow, pyjamas, a dress in case he was serious about going for dinner, extra shoes, toiletries, and a special surprise for Eli that I bought over the summer. When Mac and I went lingerie shopping, we had Logan in mind, but when I saw this all I could picture was Eli ripping it off of me. Even Mac said it screamed Eli. So I put it in a drawer and I haven’t touched it.


	10. Ten

Once my bag is packed I walk out to the living room. Eli and Dad are sitting and chatting and they both look at me as I enter the room. Dad says:  
“How did Duncan take the breakup?”  
“Unnervingly well? I think he and I were both trying to get something back that wasn’t there anymore. He loves Meg.”  
I shrug and say:  
“I just wish I had broken up with him sooner. Maybe Meg wouldn’t have been on that bus.”  
“Meg being on that bus wasn’t your fault, Veronica.”  
“Wasn’t it? She was on the bus because she didn’t want to be in the limo with Duncan because he broke up with her. She was angry at me because I was dating Duncan.”  
“Meg’s in a coma but is expected to recover. It’ll be okay, kiddo.”  
“Will it? It doesn’t feel that way.”

Eli stands up and walks over to me before he says:  
“Okay. That’s enough spiralling into the pit of blaming yourself for now.”  
I wrap my arms around his waist and press my face into his neck before saying:  
“I’m pretty sure Meg being mad at me saved my life. I think she told them everyone was on the bus and that’s why it left without me. She saw me talking to you. She knew I wasn’t on the bus.”  
“Then I am eternally grateful for Meg and her anger. How did you find me in the corner of the lot anyway? I was on the other side of the building.”  
“I saw Lilly. I heard her say my name, then I saw her move around the corner. When I followed her, I found you.”  
“Well then, I guess I have to be grateful to Lilly’s ghost too. I don’t know what I would have done if you had been on that bus…”  
I kiss him and say:  
“Let’s go.”

I look at Dad and say:  
“I’ll be home tomorrow.”  
“Okay.”

When we pull into the parking lot at the Neptune Grand he parks the bike and we walk towards the elevator. We end up passing Dick on his way out of the hotel. He says:  
“Ronnie, can you convince Duncan to come to the party tonight?”  
“Doubtful.”  
“Why?”  
“We broke up last night. I don’t think he’ll be listening to me anytime soon.”  
“You should have been in the limo yesterday.”  
“Everyone should have. You should have invited everyone.”  
“It’s not my fault those poor kids are dead.”  
“You’re right. But it’s your fault that you and Logan are throwing a goddamn party in their so-called honour and aren’t inviting anyone who actually knew them.”  
“I knew one of them!”  
“Dick, putting your cock in someone doesn’t mean you know them…especially in your case.”  
“Did you know them?”  
“No. But I’m not acting like I did.”  
“Try to convince Duncan to come to the party.”  
“No. He’s worried about Meg, Dick. He’s not going to want to go to a party.”  
“You’re coming, right?”  
“No.”  
“Logan said you were.”  
“I got a better offer.”  
“What? Him?”  
He gestures at Eli.  
“Yes. Him.”  
“Is he why you broke up with Duncan?”   
“Is this person I love the reason I broke up with Duncan? Yes, Dick. He is.”  
“He and his guys jumped Logan. Framed Logan for murder.”  
“To be fair, Eli was unconscious when Logan was framed for Felix’s murder. And Felix was Eli’s best friend.”

Eli says:  
“And that’s what broke us up in June. So it’s not like V hasn’t already made her stand in that regard.”  
“And yet, here she is…With you.”  
“Yup. She is.”  
“This is just mind-boggling because when she was with Logan one of your boys fired a fucking shotgun into Logan’s car while Logan and Ronnie were inside. Barely missed them. I can’t believe she’d get back with you after that.”

Eli looks at me and says:  
“One of my boys did what?!”  
“It’s fine. I’m fine…clearly.”  
“Did they know you guys were inside?”  
“We were visible through the back window until Logan shoved me down on the seat when he heard the motorcycle. It was a few days before the pool burned down.”  
“I never authorized that.”  
“Well, I’m pretty sure you haven’t actually been in charge since before Felix died.”  
“You think I missed a fucking coup?”  
“I think the coup hasn’t completely happened yet. I think some or all of your guys are up to something behind your back though.”  
“God, I missed your brain.”  
“Well, maybe you should have listened to me in the fucking first place.”  
“Yeah. I should have. I’m sorry, baby.”  
I look at Dick and say:  
“Goodbye, Dick.”  
“You’re welcome to come to the party, Ronnie. He’s not.”  
“Yeah…I’m good here, thanks.”

I intertwine my fingers with Eli’s and say:  
“Come on. Let’s go upstairs.”

When we get up to the room, Eli says:  
“Why didn’t you tell me about the shotgun incident?”  
“I thought you might have known about it.”  
“You thought that I would allow any of my guys to do something that had the potential to hurt you? Are you insane?”  
“You were pretty mad at me in June, and then it was like I didn’t exist anymore. I wasn’t sure how you felt about me.”  
“Okay…Let me clarify: I am in love with you. I was mad, yes. You broke up with me. You chose Logan over me. I know it was because you thought he was innocent, but baby…You broke up with me. And then you started dating him. And while you were dating him, he was doing awful things to us. He burned down the community pool.”  
“And I broke up with him for it.”  
“Yeah, but then you started dating Duncan. Another 09er asshole. Why didn’t you come back to me?”  
“I didn’t think you wanted me.”  
“I always want you. I’m pretty sure you are the love of my life.”  
“I feel the same way about you. For the record, I didn’t have sex with either of them.”  
“You didn’t?”  
“No. Why is that so difficult to believe?”  
“We had sex like…a day in. And that’s after saying we were going to take it slow.”  
“Yeah. I don’t feel the same way about them that I feel about you.”  
“Did you consider sleeping with either of them?”  
“I was planning on sleeping with Logan…Even bought lingerie, but then the pool thing happened, and I broke up with him instead.”  
“Lingerie?”  
“Yeah…I actually bought two outfits when Mac and I went shopping. I was only going to buy one, but then I saw another one and all I could picture was you taking it off me, so I bought it and put it in a drawer…Just hoping that someday…”  
“Please tell me you packed it.”  
“Oh. I did. Do you want to see it?”  
He grabs my waist and pulls me close to him before growling:  
“Yes. Yes, I do.”  
“Now? Or do you want to get dinner first?”  
“My brain says we should get dinner…”  
“And the rest of you?”  
“I really want to see the lingerie.”  
I kiss him and say:  
“My poor horny boy. Why don’t I go get changed and you order room service? And then after we eat, you can take it off of me.”  
“Yes, please. What do you want to eat?”  
“Surprise me. But there better be something chocolate for dessert.”  
“I thought I was dessert?”  
I just blink at him and he laughs.  
“Fine, I’ll get something chocolate for later.”  
“Good boy.”  
I kiss him and then step out of his arms, picking up my bag and walking into the bathroom.

I get changed into the outfit I bought for him. It’s a purple lace merrywidow with a plunging neckline and criss-cross straps on the back. It has a matching g-string, but due to the merrywidow style and the g-string, my butt is basically just bare. I pull on black lace thigh-highs and connect the garter straps. Once I’m dressed (such as it is) I brush my hair and put it in a single braid down the middle of my back. 

I put one of the hotel robes on and leave the bathroom. Eli looks at me and says:  
“I don’t get to see it?”  
“Not until after room service comes.”  
“You’re gonna kill me, V.”

There’s a knock on the door and I go to answer it. It’s the room service, so I step back and let him enter as I grab my wallet to tip him. As I hand the tip to him I say:  
“Thanks, Jeff.”  
“You remember me?”  
“Uh…yeah? You always work the night shift.”  
“It’s weird to see you down here. And in a robe.”  
“Duncan and I broke up.”  
“That would explain the downgrade in rooms.”  
“Yeah, Mars money rather than Kane money.”  
“Well, enjoy.”  
“Thanks.”

As he walks out I change the door tag to “Do not disturb” and close and lock the door.

Eli says:  
“What did he mean about a downgrade in rooms?”  
“Duncan’s living in the presidential suite.”  
“Oh.”  
I turn and look at him before saying:  
“You know I don’t care about the money, right?”  
He shrugs and says:  
“Every other guy you’ve dated has been an 09er.”  
“The two other guys I’ve dated…yeah. But, Eli. I love you. I want to be with you. I don’t care about the money. I never have.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Uh…yeah. I’m sure.”  
I walk over to him and wrap my arms around his waist, pressing my face into his neck before saying:  
“For my birthday, Duncan gave me a jewelry box with a fortune — like from a cookie — inside. It said ‘True love stories don’t have an end.’ I know he meant it in regards to him and me, but it’s not true. It was never true love, and we’ve both found people we love more since. When I read those words, all I could think about was you. You are my true love. Eli, you are the person I love most. You are who I want to spend the rest of my life with. I don’t care about the money. I don’t care if we ever get out of Neptune. I just want to be with you.”  
“I love you. But you will be leaving Neptune. I will not allow you to derail the life you are supposed to have because you had the misfortune of falling in love with me.”  
“Okay, first of all, being with you is not derailing shit. Second of all, falling in love with you is not a misfortune. You are amazing, sweet, funny, so so sexy, and you love me. And third, this feels like it could be an argument, and I just got you back. I don’t want to spend our night bickering.”  
“Did you bring your camera?”  
“Yes. Always. Habit. Why?”  
“I want to take pictures of you.”  
“In this really attractive robe?”  
“And out of it.”  
“Okay. It’s in my purse.”

He walks away, and I start pulling lids off of the dishes on the room service cart.  
“Is this lasagna for me?”  
“Obviously.”

I pick up my lasagna and the Fresca he got me, along with one of the glasses and go sit down at the table. I cross my legs and the robe falls to the sides, exposing my thigh-high covered legs. As I’m eating I hear him taking pictures.  
“Oooh. Pictures while I’m eating. Sexy.”  
“I’m just getting the hang of it.”  
“It’s a good thing it’s digital.”  
“Yes.”  
“Eat your dinner, Eli.”  
“Then I can take pictures? You’ll model for me?”  
“Yes. I will.”

He sits down at the table with me and eats his dinner while running his fingers over my knee. When I’m done eating I go and brush my teeth. When I come out, Eli is done eating and he’s got the camera again.   
“You know the only reason I’m letting you do this is that I can print the pictures for you myself, right? Like…having pictures like the ones you want to take is…unwise.”  
“Yup. That, and you love me.”  
“Yeah, that too.”

I walk over to the bed and I sit on the end of it with my legs crossed, leaning back on my hands with my head back, eyes closed. I feel him adjust the robe so it’s open and off of my legs and then he takes a few pictures. When he leans over me and kisses me I say:  
“Want to take the robe off?”  
“Yes please.”

I stand up and untie the robe slowly as he takes pictures. Once it’s untied I drop it off of my shoulders and smirk when he gasps. I let him direct me into positions for him to take pictures, and when he decides he’s done, he puts the camera down and climbs onto the bed on top of me. He kisses me and runs his hand down my body before saying:  
“I want you.”  
“Well, that’s good. It was kind of the point, in fact. If you want me, take me.”  
He growls and pulls off my thigh-highs and panties before settling between my legs. He starts gently licking at me, not putting pressure anywhere. After a few minutes of this, I say:  
“What’s your plan here, love? To torture me into an orgasm?”  
“I was enjoying tasting you…while seeing how long you’d put up with it, my impatient girl.”  
“Eli…Please.”  
“Okay baby.”  
He flicks his tongue over my clit before sucking on it and sliding two fingers into me, pumping them firmly. I start gasping as I feel my orgasm building, and I come screaming his name. He pulls his fingers out of me and sucks them off before climbing off of the bed. When he stands up, I move to the edge of the bed. I watch as he takes his shirt off, then I reach for him. I quickly undo his belt and pants, shoving them and his boxers off his body. I look at him and lick my lips before looking up at him and saying:  
“Can I?”  
“Oh, God, yes.”  
I take him in my mouth, gagging a little bit while I get used to him. I start bobbing my head, moving my tongue along his length. When he wraps my braid around his hand and pulls I moan around his cock and he groans.  
“Jesus Christ, V. I don’t think I want to know who taught you this, but I also really want to thank him.”  
I keep going, humming a bit in my throat, and he says:  
“Baby, I’m going to come.”  
I look up at him and start sucking more as I continue doing what I’m doing. When he comes, I swallow, then lick him off as I pull my mouth off of him. He grabs me and pulls me into a standing position before kissing me.  
“I love you.”  
“I love you.”  
“Who taught you that?”  
“Do you really want to know?”  
“Yes.”  
“Logan.”  
“Remind me to thank him. Turn around.”

I turn around and he undoes the fasteners on the lingerie, pushing it off of my body. I hear him open a condom and put it on before he says:  
“Bend over.”  
I rest my head and arms on the bed as he slides into me. He thrusts into me quickly and forcefully, and neither of us lasts for long before we’re orgasming. After he pulls out he says:  
“Let’s go shower, then we’ll eat your chocolate cake before bed.”  
As I stand up and turn around to face him I say:  
“I’m sorry…we’ll eat my chocolate cake? No, dear. We will not. I will.”  
“You won’t share it with me?”  
“I don’t share chocolate.”  
“What if I let you sit on my lap and I fuck you while you eat it? Will you share then?”  
“No. Also, that would distract me from the chocolate.”  
“Wow. And I thought you loved me.”  
“Oh, I do. Just not enough to share my chocolate with.”  
“Who would you love enough to share chocolate with? Your kids? Husband?”  
“Eli…I don’t ever want to get married or have kids.”  
“You’re only eighteen babe. You don’t know that for sure.”  
“I do, actually. Because of Mom, I have a 50% chance of being an alcoholic, any kids I have would have a 25% chance. And I spent my formative years watching people hurt and deceive their spouses. it’s not something I want.”

I walk past him, into the bathroom before starting the shower. I step in as he walks into the bathroom. When he gets in the shower he says:  
“So if I proposed to you, you’d say no?”  
“Yeah. Is this a deal-breaker for you?”  
“Knife to the heart? Yes. Deal-breaker? No.”  
“Knife to the heart? Why?”  
“I’ve had a reoccurring fantasy since last year…We’re in a church and you are walking towards me in a beautiful wedding gown. Plus, you being Veronica Navarro would make me deliriously happy.”  
“I’m sorry, Eli. It’s possible I’ll change my mind at some point, but I don’t think I will.”  
“And no kids? Ever?”  
“No kids.”  
“I’ve always wanted kids.”  
“You’ll be a great Dad, just with someone else.”  
“I’m going to lose you again…”  
“Eventually. You deserve to get married and have kids. You shouldn’t miss out on the things you want for your life just because I’m fucked up. You’re not going to lose me anytime soon. We’re only in high school.”

He grabs me and kisses me before saying:  
“I don’t want to think about this anymore. As far as I’m concerned, you are mine forever. I don’t want to even consider someone else.”  
“I love you, Eli.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to see the merrywidow I had in mind while writing this: https://foreveryourslingerie.ca/ohlala-cheri-joell-merrywidow-62-11214-x-purple.html (please note this is a website for a lingerie store, the outfit is modelled on a real, live person. if you are offended by images of somewhat naked women, don't click the link)


	11. Eleven

When we get back to the apartment the next day, there’s a note from Dad saying:  
‘Had to go out of town. Take this opportunity to move Eli back in. It’s time for him to come home.’

The rest of the school year is crazy. We figure out that all of the PCHers are working for the Fitzpatricks, led by Thumper. A witness comes forward against Logan regarding Felix’s murder, it turns out he was owned by the Fitzpatricks though. Logan’s house mysteriously burns down (the night it happens Eli comes home smelling of smoke). 

Dad loses the sheriff's election to Lamb. We figure out there was an explosion on the bus before the crash. Wallace leaves, but then eventually comes home. 

Meg dies, her baby (Duncan’s baby) does not. I help Duncan kidnap her and flee the country, Eli gets pissed because I put myself in danger and I bring the FBI into our house.

Thumper and the rest of the PCHers kick Eli out, they beat him up and dump his bike in the ocean. He steals the grad trip money (well, half of it) and buys himself a car, I don’t say anything, although it seriously irks me that I couldn’t figure out where he hid it the day of. 

We figure out that Woody (Neptune’s mayor) molested boys on his little league team. 

Thumper disappears and Eli refuses to answer any of my questions about it. 

Aaron goes on trial for murdering Lilly and is declared not guilty, he gets shot in the head the day he gets released from jail. 

We go to the replacement prom the 09ers throw and Eli punches Logan after Logan makes a declaration of epic love to me. 

On graduation day, we’re all sitting in the gym when Lamb, Sacks, and another deputy walk in. Lamb looks at me and then looks at Eli, sitting a couple of rows behind me. I reach out and grab Lamb’s wrist and say:  
“Please, Don. Just let him walk across the stage first. For Mrs. Navarro. For me. Please.”  
“Veronica. I’m arresting him for murder. It won’t matter if he has a diploma.”  
“Please let Mrs. Navarro see him walk across the stage before you arrest him. Please.”  
I’m crying now, begging Lamb to be human for five minutes. He shakes his head and says:  
“Fine. But the second he steps off that stage, I’m putting cuffs on him.”  
“Thank you.”

They go and stand at the end of the stage, and my row starts being called up. When Mr. C says my name everyone starts cheering and I’m flabbergasted. Mr. C says:  
“You expected a different reaction?”  
When I leave the stage I stand next to Lamb and wait for Eli. I clap and cheer as he gets his diploma and cry when he hands it to me before Lamb puts the cuffs on him. I kiss him and say:  
“I’ll call Cliff.”  
“Thanks, babe.”  
As he gets led off I start crying harder and make my way over to Mrs. Navarro. I kneel in front of her and put my head on her knees. I hold her hand and we both quietly cry as the ceremony finishes.

When we stand up, I hand Eli’s diploma to Mrs. Navarro and kiss her on the cheek before I say:  
“I will go to the station to make sure he’s okay, and I will call Cliff.”  
Dad walks up behind me before she can say anything and he says:  
“I already called Cliff. He should be there by now.”  
“Thanks, Daddy.”

Dad convinces me to go to the grad after-party at the Grand since he has to leave town to get Woody. While I’m there I find out that Cassidy Casablancas is the one who raped me. He’s also the one who caused the bus crash. Logan stops me from killing Cassidy, then Cassidy jumps off the roof. Logan takes me home and sleeps on the couch.

Eli ends up pleading his murder charge down to an assault charge. He ends up spending only a few months in prison before he gets parole. While he’s inside he decides that we need to break up, that I’m better off without him, which is utterly ridiculous, but he won’t listen to reason. When he removes my name from his visitor’s list I take the hint and pack up his things. They sit in boxes in the corner of our room until one day when Hector comes and takes them. After he does, I cry for days. Mac and Wallace can’t calm me down, so they bring in the big guns and call Logan. 

Logan climbs into bed with me and holds me until I stop crying. By the time I see Eli at the car wash in the fall, Logan and I are dating. When Eli gets fired from the car wash while I’m there I tell him I’ll try to get him a new job. He works with Dad for a single case but that doesn’t work out, so I get him a job at the university.


	12. Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but I wanted there to be a defined gap before the next one.

When the casino room I’m at on Halloween gets robbed and my necklace from Lilly gets stolen, I irrationally blame Eli. When he gets home that night, Backup and I are sitting in his apartment. When I accuse him he looks like I ripped his heart out. He steps closer to me and says:  
“I can’t believe you think that I would do that to you.”  
“What am I supposed to think? You just told my class that you miss the life, we talked about my necklace and the casino.”  
“Get out.”  
I stand up and move to walk past him and he reaches out and grabs my arm. He says:  
“I would never hurt you like this. It wasn’t me.”  
I shake my head and say:  
“I don’t believe you.”  
I pull my arm from him and walk away.

When we figure out that it was actually two campus security guards that robbed the casino, I get my necklace back from the bratty daughter of one of them.

I try to apologize to Eli, but he won’t speak to me. I write him a letter telling him how sorry I am, how I never should have blamed him, how deep down I know he would never hurt me like that, and reminding him how much I love him. I break into his apartment again and leave the letter on his pillow.

The next time I see him he’s at my apartment door. I let him in and say:  
“You haven’t been here since the morning of graduation.”  
“I am sorry about how I handled that. I should have waited until I was out.”  
“Yeah. You should have. Or you know, not done it at all.”  
“You’re with Logan now.”  
“He was the only one who was able to console me…Mac and Wallace tried for days. I cried for days when Hector came and picked up all of your things.”  
He steps towards me and wraps his arms around my waist and rests his forehead on mine.  
“I’m sorry, V.”  
“And I’m sorry about Halloween. But you need to leave.”  
“Why?”  
“Because I’m with Logan.”  
“I can control myself.”  
“I can’t. I love you.”  
“I love you. Break up with him.”  
“No.”  
He kisses me and says:  
“Veronica. Break up with him.”  
“No. You left me. You were only in prison for a few months. You didn’t need to break up with me. I tried to tell you that, but you wouldn’t listen. I was willing to wait. I love you!”  
“I screwed up, baby. Please help me fix it. I love you so much.”  
“When the only way to fix it is to break Logan’s heart, I have to say no. This isn’t like breaking up with Duncan, he didn’t love me. Logan does, and he’s been good to me.”  
“Do you love him?”  
“Not anywhere near as much as I love you, but yes.”  
He kisses me again, and I have trouble pulling away. When we finally do separate, he says:  
“Okay. I will stand back and be your friend.”  
“Thank you.”  
He leaves the apartment and I sink down on the couch and cry.


	13. Thirteen

When Logan and I break up in late November I don’t tell Eli. He doesn’t find out until after Mercer attacks me and Logan gets himself arrested so he can hurt Mercer for hurting me. After he finds Dean O’Dell dead in his office, Eli runs into Mac and Parker. Parker tells him that Logan and I broke up and that I figured out who the rapist was. As Eli was walking away she added:  
“He attacked her. She stabbed him with a ceramic unicorn. She’s a badass.”  
“Where is she?”  
“Home.”  
As soon as he walked away, Mac smacked Parker and called me, telling me what was said and warning me that he was probably about to show up. She’s right, of course. We’re barely off the phone when he shows up at the door. When I open the door he puts his hand on my cheek but doesn’t make any moves to step closer to me, leaving everything up to me.  
“Eli…”  
I start to cry and step towards him, he takes that as a sign that he’s allowed to touch me, so he picks me up and walks into the apartment, sitting down on the couch with me on his lap. I curl into him, pressing my face into his neck.  
“Did he?”  
“No. I stabbed him with a unicorn. I just got drugged…again, and I took a couple of blows to the head.”  
“Mercer was Logan’s friend right?”  
“Yeah.”  
“And you and Logan broke up?”  
“Before…yeah.”  
“What can I do, baby?”  
“Just hold me…Please?”  
“Here, or do you want to go lie down?”  
“I want to lie down. I’m dizzy and my head hurts.”  
“Okay, sweetheart.”  
He stands up and carries me to my room. He lays me down on the bed and then lays down next to me. I curl into him and put my head on his chest as he wraps his arms around me. I whisper against his chest:  
“I love you. Thank you for being here.”  
“I will always be here when you need me, my love.”  
I must fall asleep because when I wake up, Eli is gone but I can hear him and Dad talking quietly in the living room. I get up and walk out there, lying down on the couch with my head on Eli’s lap. He strokes my hair and says:  
“How’s your head babe?”  
“It hurts. Can I have more pain medication?”  
Dad says:  
“Yeah. I’ll get you a couple.”  
“And ice cream?”  
“We have rocky road and cookie dough.”  
“Rocky road please.”  
“In a bowl, or do you just want a spoon?”  
“In a bowl.”  
“Eli, do you want some?”  
“Please.”

As Dad is in the kitchen, I look up at Eli and whisper:  
“Can I keep you?”  
“You mean it?”  
“Yes. Come home.”  
“You know I have an apartment that’s closer to campus and doesn’t have a parent living in it.”  
“True.”

Dad walks in and says:  
“So is Eli moving back in or are you moving out?”  
“You’d be okay with me moving out?”  
“Yes. Is Eli okay with the fact that you’re going to Virginia for three months over the summer?”  
Eli looks at me and says:  
“Internship?”  
“Possible. With the FBI.”  
“That’s really cool, babe. When do you find out?”  
“A few months.”  
“We’ll figure it out.”

A few days later, Mac; Parker; Wallace, and Piz come over to help me move into Eli’s. Things are busy, but relativity peaceful until Valentine’s Day when I get arrested in class for helping someone escape from jail. Eli thinks this is hilarious and shows up at the sheriff’s station to take pictures of me. While he’s there, Logan shows up for the same reason. I get Logan to take Mac’s wireless card to her, so he leaves. Before Eli leaves he leans in and kisses me through the bars before he says:  
“Happy Valentine’s Day, babe.”  
“Ugh.”  
Lamb lets me out the next day, and I go straight home and shower before climbing into bed with Eli.   
“You’re home.”  
“Yup. Lamb decided I didn’t know about Josh’s peanut allergy and for once I was just trying to be a nice person.”  
“Strange. Can’t blame him for thinking otherwise.”  
I smack his chest and say:  
“Oh shut up.”

A week later Lamb is killed trying to apprehend a suspect. Dad is made interim Sheriff. 

In May I pass my private investigator’s exam, becoming a licensed P.I. A week later, Eli is arrested for selling fake Hearst IDs. These IDs work like debit cards, so it’s a pretty serious charge. I investigate and figure out who actually did it, getting the charges dropped. When he gets home, he says:  
“You know, you’re pretty useful to have around.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Then why do you lie to me?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“When I asked you to look for that other machine…You told me you didn’t find it, but you did.”  
“How’d you find out?”  
“It’s under the bed. Eli, why?”  
“I wasn’t going to use it…”  
“I don’t care that you took it. I care that you lied to me about it.”  
“I’m sorry, babe. I shouldn’t have lied.”  
“Duh. Eli…We need to talk.”  
I take his hand and lead him to the couch. We sit down, side-by-side, which is weird for us, normally I sit on his lap.  
“What’s going on, V?”  
“I was accepted to the internship.”  
“That’s great, babe. It’s only three months, we’ll be okay.”  
“Eli…I was also accepted to Stanford for the fall term. I think I need to go.”  
“So…what? Three years instead of three months?”  
“Maybe longer. I want my law degree.”  
He’s silent, so I say:  
“Eli…I love you more than anything, but I can’t just be a P.I. forever.”  
“I know. I can’t come with you though. I have to be here for the family.”  
“I know. I don’t want to leave you, but…”  
“It’s what’s best for your future.”  
I shrug. He puts his hand on my neck and runs his thumb over my jaw.   
“Baby, I selfishly don’t want you to go, but you need to go.”  
“I don’t want you to wait for me. I don’t want you to put your life on hold while I’m gone…Promise me.”  
“Are you coming back?”  
“I don’t know.”  
“When do you leave?”  
“A week from now.”  
“A week? I only have another week with you?”

The next week flies by and suddenly we’re at the night before I leave. Eli’s in the kitchen when I get home from taking the last of my things to Dad’s. I walk up and wrap my arms around his waist and I kiss his back between his shoulder blades. He turns around and says:  
“You’re leaving tomorrow.”  
“I am. Is it selfish of me to ask you to show me how much you love me?”  
“No. It’s not selfish.”  
He picks me up and carries me into the bedroom. We make love several times throughout the night, slowly and gently reminding each other how much love we have. At dawn, we’re both crying and clinging to each other during what we both know is our last time together. Afterwards, we lay there, tangled together, and I say:  
“Remember…Don’t put your life on hold. Move on, babe. I don’t want you to be alone.”  
“I will never love anyone like I love you.”  
“The feeling is mutual. I love you so much, Eli.”  
I kiss him, pouring all of the love I have for him into it, then I say:  
“I need to go.”  
“Yeah…okay.”  
I get up and get dressed. I leave the apartment before Eli is even dressed. I listen to “Last Kiss” by Taylor Swift on repeat practically the whole five-hour drive to Stanford.


	14. Fourteen

I don’t go back to Neptune the whole time I’m at Stanford, and when I get accepted to Columbia Law, I move to New York without a second thought. A couple of months after I move to New York, I run into Piz. We start dating and end up moving in together a year later. When I graduate law school and pass the bar, I’m still successfully avoiding meeting Piz’s parents…Even though we’ve been living together for years. 

I’m at a job interview when Logan calls asking for my help. I decide to go back to Neptune…Just to help him choose a lawyer, that’s it. Of course, things never go according to plan in Neptune.

I find myself investigating and trying to clear Logan’s name (I believe him when he says that she was dead when he got there). Since, unfortunately, I’m still in Neptune when it’s time for our ten-year reunion, Mac and Wallace talk me into going. When we get there, before I’ve even had a drink, Eli approaches me and says:  
“You’re going to hug me now…Don’t embarrass me in front of my wife. Please.”  
I hug him, fighting back tears, and then he shows me a picture of his daughter, Valentina. I run my hand down his arm and squeeze his hand before walking away. 

I manage to get outside and around the corner before I start crying. I jump when someone touches me.  
“It’s just me, V.”  
“Go back inside, Eli.”  
“No. You’re upset.”  
I grab his forearms and rub my thumbs along them and say:  
“You’re married.”  
“You told me to move on with my life.”  
“I know. I’m sorry, I just need time to process.”  
“You’re living with Piz, right?”  
“Yeah…But I moved in with him because it’s really expensive to live in New York. It wasn’t like I moved in with him because I couldn’t bear to spend a night without him.”  
He lunges towards me and kisses me. My brain wants to push him away, but it’s Eli, and I can’t. So I wrap my arms around his neck as he wraps his around my waist. We kiss until we’re both out of breath and we’re both crying.  
“Eli, you’re married. We cannot do this. Go back inside. Please.”  
“Yeah…Okay.”  
He steps back from me and turns to go back inside. Before he walks away he says:  
“I will always love you most.”

After he walks away, I take a couple of minutes to collect myself, then I go inside and make a beeline for the bar. By the time Mac walks over with Piz, I’ve downed four drinks in quick succession. Piz grabs my arm and says:  
“Slow down, Veronica.”  
“I’m fine, Piz.”  
“You look sad. What happened?”  
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter.”

I don’t see what starts it, but the next thing I know, Logan; Piz; Wallace; Dick, and Eli are all fighting with some of the other guys at the reunion. To make them stop, I trigger the sprinklers. When Madison yells at me for ruining everything, I punch her in the face.

Piz, Wallace, Mac, Dick, and I all go to Gia’s afterparty. We drink, dance, have fun, and gather information about Logan’s case. 

While we’re there, Eli is driving home after taking his babysitter home and pulls over to help Celeste Kane. Celeste ends up shooting him and leaving him bleeding in the street. When Piz and I get back to Dad’s, Dad tells me that Eli is in the hospital and is under arrest for threatening Celeste with a firearm. Eli insists that he didn’t have a gun on him and the one that was found with him was placed there by someone else. 

Dad forbids me from going to the hospital, so I go to bed and wake up approximately five times with nightmares about losing Eli. Piz finally gets sick of getting woken up by the sound of me screaming Eli’s name and he moves to the couch.

The next morning Piz leaves and I don’t. We decide that he will box up my belongings and ship them to me. The breakup is a long time coming, the whole time we were together he resented the fact that I would always love Eli more than him.

After Piz leaves, Dad invites Logan over for dinner. While we’re getting dinner ready and waiting for Logan to arrive, Dad steps outside to meet a source about Eli’s case. The car they are in ends up being rammed by a truck, and as Logan is trying to get Dad out of the car, the truck comes back for another pass. The night ends with Dad in the hospital and his source, Sacks, dead. 

When the doctor tells me there’s nothing I can do sitting in the waiting room and to go home, I go upstairs to check on Eli. There’s no-one in his room when I get there, so I stand just inside the door and watch him sleep, being comforted by the rise and fall of his chest and the screen showing me his steady heartbeat. I’m there for a few minutes when he says:  
“Are you going to come over here, or just stand in the door?”  
“I just needed to reassure myself that you were alive. Go back to sleep.”  
“No. Come here.”  
He holds his hand out to me and I walk over and take it. He looks at me and says:  
“V? Whose blood is that?”  
“Dad’s. He’s in surgery.”  
“What happened?”  
“Car accident. He’ll be fine…Sacks is dead though.”  
“Are you here at the hospital alone?”  
“Yeah…Well, now. Logan was here, he’s the one who pulled Dad out of the car, but I sent him home a while ago.”  
“Where’s Piz?”  
“Back in New York. He left this morning with promises to pack up all my stuff and ship it to me.”  
“You broke up? Why?”  
“In our three-year relationship, the only thing he ever cared enough about to fight about was how I feel about you. When I found out that you got shot, I had nightmares last night about actually losing you. I kept waking up screaming for you. He couldn’t handle it and moved to the couch. This morning he said it was over, and I said okay. I don’t love him. I never loved him. He was a nice guy that I enjoyed spending time with who, I thought, didn’t want more than I could give him.”  
“He’s shipping your stuff…So you’re staying in Neptune?”  
“For a while. Dad’s going to need help…But then I plan on moving far away and not coming back.”  
“Why?”  
I start crying and say:  
“Because this hurts. Being here…Seeing you. It hurts. Being away is easier.”  
I lean over and kiss his forehead before pulling my hand out of his and walking away. When I get to the door he says:  
“I’ll divorce her.”  
“Don’t you dare. You married her, you have a child together…And Eli, you were happy until you saw that I was upset last night. Don’t throw away your life.”  
As I walk out the door, I hear him say:  
“I want you to be my life. I love you.”

The next day, Logan and I do surveillance on Gia and figure out that she definitely had something to do with Bonnie’s death. By the end of the day, Gia is dead and Cobb is under arrest. It takes anonymously posting the story and a video I had taken of Sheriff Dan Lamb on the internet for the Neptune Sheriff’s Department to officially clear Logan’s name. 

Mac and I took over Mars Investigations while Dad was recovering.

While Eli was in the hospital he decided that the life of a law-abiding citizen in one of the most corrupt cities in California wasn’t for him, so days after he was released, he was back on the motorcycle he hadn’t ridden in years, leading the gang he hadn’t led in a decade.

A few months after Eli gives up his legitimate shop and takes over his Uncle Angel’s chop shop, Jade leaves him and takes Valentina with her. The day after she leaves, Eli shows up at my door. I tell him to go get his wife back and close the door in his face.

A couple of months later, he takes a settlement from the county, derailing the case of corruption that Dad and Cliff are building on his behalf.

Six months after Dad comes home from the hospital he declares himself physically fit enough to live on his own and tells me to find an apartment. I find a rent-controlled, oceanfront apartment that I can afford on my measly income from Mars Investigations. I take the California Bar exam, but don’t start practicing law.

It had been almost a year since Jade left the first time Eli shows up at the door of my apartment. It’s the middle of the night and I’m wearing pyjamas, but I step back and let him in. After he steps inside, he closes and locks the door before saying:  
“Veronica…I miss you.”  
I step towards him and wrap my arms around his neck. He picks me up, wrapping my legs around his waist and he carries me to the bedroom. He puts me down and runs his fingers along the strap of my tank top.  
“Is this what you always wear to sleep in now? A tank top and shorts?”  
“When I sleep alone, yes.”  
“How frequently do you not sleep alone?”  
“Does that really matter?”  
“Are you dating anyone?”  
“I don’t date anymore.”  
“Why?”  
“Letting someone get attached when I’ve already found the love of my life is cruel.”  
“Aren’t you going to ask if I’m dating anyone?”  
“No.”  
“Why not?”  
“Because I don’t care. Fuck me, Eli.”  
“Veronica Mars always cares. What happened to you?”  
“I love you. And if all I can have are stolen moments here and there, then that’s what I’ll take.”  
He kisses me and then says:  
“I’m not dating anyone…For the record.”  
“Good to know.”

After we make love for the first time in ten years, we’re lying in bed and I have my head on his chest. For the first time in a decade, I feel calm and at peace, like I can breathe, so I whisper:  
“Can I keep you?”  
“Oh, baby. I thought you’d never ask.”

He moves in the next day.


	15. Fifteen

We live together for the next three and a half years. It’s mostly peaceful, except for our loud, blow-up fights. The fights are increasingly frequent towards the end of our relationship, but they’re all about one of three things. His desire to get married (he would classify this one as my refusal to get married), his criminal activity, or my refusal to actually start practicing law. Finally, we reach the last fight, and he moves out.

Six months later, the Sea Sprite Motel is bombed. It’s just the start of a really rough spring break. 

During the course of my investigation into the bombings, I have to talk to Eli, so I go to his shop. When I get out of the car, one of the little punks playing basketball recognizes me as the chick who wouldn’t let him mug me while I was out for a run. He and his friends surround me and are threatening to hurt me when Eli walks out and fires his gun into the air before ordering them to let me go. When they do, he walks towards me.  
“Why are you here, V?”   
“I’m investigating the bombings.”  
“It wasn’t us.”  
“The muggings are though.”  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”  
“Really? That little shithead over there tried to mug me the other day. I found multiple wallets on him. Why are you working for Big Dick?”  
“We’re not.”  
“Fine. Whatever.”

I walk away and get in my car. The next time I see him he’s in my office, yelling at me for getting one of his guys arrested. We have one of our usual fights about his criminal activities and how I have this fancy degree and I should be using it to help the people of Neptune. I decide that I’m done fighting, so I say:  
“Eli.”  
He keeps yelling at me, so I say, louder:  
“Eli.”  
“What?!”  
“I will start practicing law if you get your shit together and go legit again.”  
“You’re bargaining? That’s very unlike you.”  
“I’m sick of fighting with you. I love you.”  
“I love you…I’ll think about it.”  
“Okay.”

Later that afternoon I’m at the police station talking to Leo about the case when he gets called away. I read the files on his desk and decide to do some investigating on my own. I don’t find much, but later that night I’m at Señor Quacks having a drink when Leo shows up.  
“How did you know I was here?”  
“Pure coincidence.”  
“Did you put a tracker on my car?”  
“In your bag actually. You’re slipping Mars.”  
“Clearly.”  
We spend the rest of the night drinking and dancing. At the end of the night, he walks me home.

A couple of days later, I’m at the police station talking to Leo again, and he mentions that The Big Lebowski (which he’s never seen!) is playing at a movie theatre in town. I say:  
“Why would I go to that mouldy old theatre when I have the director’s cut and the ingredients for White Russians at home?”  
“What time should I come over?”  
“That wasn’t an invitation.”  
“Sounded like one.”  
“Well, it wasn’t. You are not coming over to Lebowski and chill.”  
“How about Lebowski and pizza?”  
I roll my eyes and look at his stupid grin and say:  
“Fine. But if you show up without pizza, we’re going to have problems, buddy.”  
“Noted. 7:00?”  
“Fine.”

I’m at home, in my pyjamas when Leo shows up (honestly, I had forgotten he was coming over). When I let him in, he puts the pizza down on the counter and then grabs me and kisses me. We end up having sex before getting re-dressed and eating pizza and watching the movie. While we’re watching he says:  
“So it kinda was Lebowski and chill.”  
“Oh, shut up, or I won’t fuck you again before making you leave.”  
“Being quiet now.”

When the movie is over he says:  
“It’s exactly what you said it was…I was sure you had to be remembering it wrong.”  
“It’s amazing and a classic.”  
“It’s ridiculous.”  
“But amazing and a classic.”  
“You might be insane.”  
“Maybe.”  
I shift on the couch so I’m straddling him and kiss him. He stands up and carries me into the bedroom. Afterwards, I say:  
“Go home, Leo.”  
“Can’t I stay?”  
“No. I don’t share a bed with anyone but Eli.”  
“So you fuck other people, but don’t date them or let them spend the night?”  
“That’s right.”  
“Seems healthy.”  
“It works for me."

After he leaves I shower and strip the bed, putting the sheets in the wash before going to sleep on the couch.

A couple of nights later, Dad and I are at a cabin to collect our bombing suspect when people start shooting at us. We’re barricaded in the cabin when Dad runs out of bullets and realizes that the rest of his rounds are in the car. He decides that he can make it out there without getting shot. I try to give him cover, but then I run out of rounds too. I’m trying to get myself used to the idea that I’m probably going to die in this cabin when I hear motorcycles…a lot of them. Then I hear Eli shout:  
“No-one is touching her! Leave!”  
I step outside and gesture for him to wait, not to leave. He nods and I say to Dad:  
“Can you get this idiot in the car?”  
“Yeah.”

I walk over to Eli and take his helmet off before leaning in and kissing him.   
“Thank you.”  
“I would have been here sooner, but my bitch sister took a while to let me know what was going on.”  
“You got here in time…Eli?”  
“Yeah, V?”  
“Marry me.”  
“You have been opposed to marriage since we were eighteen. Why now?”  
“I told you when we were eighteen that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I meant that then, and I mean it now. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything or anyone. I guess I just realized that I’m sick of spending years being able to breathe just to spend months or years gasping for air. I realized that the feeling I get when I’m with you, of peace, of being able to take a deep breath…I could have that all the time. I’ve been fighting against the one thing that gives me what I want.”  
“And what do you want?”  
“You. Only you. For the rest of my life, I only want you.”

He grins and reaches in his pocket before pulling out a small velvet box and saying:  
“I bought this before you told me you were opposed to marriage. I held on to it hoping that one day you’d change your mind about marrying me.”  
I take the box from him and open it, finding a beautiful white gold ring with a centre diamond and leaf-like shapes on the sides.  
“Eli…It’s beautiful.”  
“Are you sure you want to marry me? Because if this ring goes on your finger, I’m not letting you run away.”  
“I’m sure. I might even let you talk me into having kids.”  
He puts his hand on my forehead like he’s taking my temperature and says:  
“Are you feeling okay?”  
“Shut up and put my ring on me.”  
He laughs and pulls the ring out of the box before sliding it on my finger. Once it’s on, I kiss him and say:  
“I love you.”  
“We’re getting married?”  
“We’re getting married.”

He looks over to Dad and shouts:  
“We’re getting married!”  
Dad yells back:  
“It’s about damn time!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V's engagement ring: https://www.peoplesjewellers.com/037-ct-tw-diamond-leafsides-vintagestyle-engagement-ring-10k-white-gold/p/V-20308085


	16. Sixteen

After the last bomb goes off in my car (thankfully, no-one was anywhere near it) we’re at the police station giving our last statements to Leo and the other FBI agents when Eli walks in. When I finish talking to Leo I walk over to Eli and wrap my arms around him. I feel Leo walking up behind me before he says:  
“You’re back with him?”  
Eli laughs and says:  
“You’re not honestly surprised, are you? This is what we do. We break up, we get back together…Although, this time we got engaged.”  
“I’m just surprised because she had sex with me less than a week ago…Wait. Engaged? Seriously?”  
Eli whispers to me:  
“When did you have sex with him?”  
“Two days before we got engaged. It was just sex. It didn’t mean anything.”  
“Did he spend the night?”  
“No. I don’t sleep with anyone but you. I haven’t since Piz.”  
“Was it good?”  
“Meh. Middling? Better than most…Not as good as you and Logan.”  
“Alright.”

I turn around and say:  
“If you leave us with your address I’ll make sure you get an invitation to the wedding.”  
“Sure. If the wedding actually happens, I’d be happy to come.”  
Eli says:  
“Oh, the wedding is happening.”  
“I’ll believe it when I see it. The two of you have been yo-yos since you were seventeen.”  
“Don’t be a sore loser, Leo.”

We walk away then, leaving to move me into Eli’s house — my apartment sustained damage from the bomb, and his house is larger anyways. When we get there, Eli gets dragged into another room by his sister and I’m left with Hector.   
“I don’t think we’ve been in the same room in years, Veronica.”  
“Since you came to pick Eli’s things up.”  
“Right…when he was a fucking moron.”  
“You thought so too, huh?”  
“Yeah…When the love of your life is willing to wait for you to get out of prison, you don’t break up with her.”  
“Thank you! That was my point. Ugh.”

Eli walks into the room and pulls me into his lap as he sits down before saying:  
“Don’t you two start ganging up on me now.”  
Hector says:  
“Don’t be an idiot and we won’t have to.”  
I laugh and say:  
“What he said.”

We spend the next six months planning the wedding. By the time the day rolls around, I’ve cut my hours back at Mars Investigations to take cases on as a lawyer, and Eli has transformed the shop into a *mostly* legitimate business. 

The night before the wedding, Matty — my intrepid protégé and bridesmaid, Mac — who came into town to be my maid of honour, and I are all staying at the Neptune Grand when there’s a knock on the door. When I open it, I find Celeste Kane standing on the other side.  
“Veronica…May I come in?”  
“I suppose.”  
I step back and let her walk into the room. I close the door behind her and say:  
“Celeste…What are you doing here?”  
“I know we’ve had our issues dear.”  
“That’s an understatement. Not to mention the fact that you shot the man I love and then let him be framed for something he didn’t do.”  
“I am sorry about that, Veronica.”  
“Hmm.”  
We walk over to the couch and sit down. She pulls a jewellery box out of her purse and says:  
“These are a Kane family heirloom. Lilly was supposed to get them for her wedding, but I think if she was here, she’d want you to have them.”  
“Are you sure, Celeste? You have a grand-daughter.”  
“Who I’ve never seen. Duncan only communicates to us through Clarence.”  
I reach over and take her hand.  
“I’m sorry, Celeste.”  
“It’s alright, dear. I’ve come to terms with the fact that perhaps I wasn’t the best mother.”  
She hands me the box and I open it, revealing vintage diamond earrings.  
“Wow. Celeste. I really couldn’t.”  
“You can and you will. They can become Navarro family heirlooms now, or you can get them to Duncan for his Lilly. It’s up to you.”  
“Thank you, Celeste.”  
“You’re welcome, Veronica. I also have this. Clarence brought it by the house earlier, it’s from Duncan.”

She hands me a small box wrapped in brown paper before standing up and saying:  
“Have a lovely wedding, Veronica. I am proud of the woman you have become. Lilly would be too.”

Mac stands up and says:  
“I’ll walk you out, Mrs. Kane.”  
“Thank you.”

I unwrap the box from Duncan and find a note:  
‘Ronnie, I am so happy that you are finally getting your happily ever after. You deserve it…especially since you and Eli have been yo-yo-ing since we were seventeen. I’ve always loved you, just not nearly as much as he does. Here’s your something blue. I expect to hear all about the wedding. Clarence knows to give you my number. -Duncan.’

Wrapped up in the note is a picture of Duncan and a teenage girl who looks just like Meg, but with Duncan’s brown hair. On the back of the picture he’s written:  
‘Lilly Kane 2.0…looks like Meg acts like Lilly. She may be the death of me.’

I stand up and run out of the room.  
“Celeste!”  
She stops and turns around before saying:  
“Yes, dear?”   
“Duncan sent me this, but I think you should have it.”  
I hand her the picture and she looks at it and reads the back before starting to tear up.   
“Thank you, Veronica. Thank you very much.”  
I hug her and say:  
“You were a wonderful mother. Everything you did was to protect your children.”  
She kisses my cheek and walks away, getting in the elevator before saying:  
“Your father did an amazing job with you.”

I feel tears in my eyes as the elevator doors close and Mac wraps her arm around me to lead me back to the room. When we get back inside, I open the box from Duncan and find a beautiful white gold bracelet with diamonds and blue stones. 

I’m staring at the bracelet when Matty puts a chain in my hand.  
“What’s this, kiddo?”  
“Your something borrowed. It’s just an anklet. Nothing fancy.”  
I put down the bracelet from Duncan and look at the anklet.  
“It’s lovely, Matty. Thank you.”

I put the anklet down on the table with the bracelet and earrings before I stand up and get two small jewellery boxes from my bag. I walk back into the sitting room area and I hand one to Mac and one to Matty.  
“Thank you for being my bridesmaids.”  
They open the boxes and Mac says:  
“V, these are gorgeous.”  
“I’d like you to wear them tomorrow if that’s cool with you guys.”  
“Of course.”

We spend the rest of the night talking until we all decide we should get some sleep before we have giant black circles to cover in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gift from Duncan: https://www.peoplesjewellers.com/030-ct-tw-enhanced-blue-white-diamond-waves-bangle-sterling-silver/p/V-20027740
> 
> Family Heirloom from Celeste: https://www.peoplesjewellers.com/095-ct-tw-diamond-flame-drop-earrings-10k-white-gold/p/V-20073738
> 
> Veronica's gift to her bridesmaids: https://www.peoplesjewellers.com/multishaped-blue-topaz-linear-drop-earrings-sterling-silver/p/V-20294568
> 
> Veronica's 'Something borrowed': https://www.peoplesjewellers.com/lotus-flower-anklet-sterling-silver-10/p/V-20287067


	17. Seventeen

The next morning we get up and do our hair and make-up before heading to the church to get dressed. We’re all wearing fairly natural make-up, Matty and I have our long hair up in French twists, and Mac’s short hair is a combination of spiked and swooshy that looks super cute. We all put our jewellery on and grab our bags before leaving the room. 

When we get to the church, it’s already decorated with flowers to match the bouquets. Blacklist lilies, Mandarin Star lilies, and Happy Snow lilies. Mac says:  
“Oh, Veronica…It’s beautiful.”  
Matty says:  
“I didn’t even know lilies came in these colours.”  
“They’re pretty intense, right? I like that they aren’t all just white.”

We walk into the bride room to get dressed and when we walk in, all of our dresses are hanging waiting for us, along with a flower girl dress for Valentina. When Eli called Jade to invite Valentina to be our flower girl, Jade was non-committal but did give us Valentina’s measurements, so I bought a dress and shoes just in case they showed up.

Mac and Matty are dressed and we’re just about to start getting me dressed when there’s a knock on the door. Matty answers it and it’s Jade and Valentina. I smile at them and say:  
“You came.”  
“I know it’s last-minute, Veronica. I understand if you have a different flower girl.”  
“Jade, I could never replace Valentina. Come in. We’ll get her ready.”  
“You bought a dress for her?”  
“Just in case.”

They come inside and Matty closes the door behind them. Valentina looks at Matty and says:  
“You’re really pretty.”  
“Thank you. So are you.”  
“Are you Veronica’s daughter?”  
Matty laughs and says:  
“No, kiddo. I’m just someone she took pity on and now bosses around.”  
I say:  
“Valentina, this is Matty, and this is Mac. Mac is my oldest girlfriend, and Matty is kind of like a little sister.”

Valentina looks at me and says:  
“Am I going to get a little sister one day?”  
“Yes. Or a brother. I know your Daddy wants more kids.”  
“He should have more kids. He’s a good Daddy.”  
“I agree. Should we get dressed?”  
She nods and says:  
“Yes. You can’t get married in sweatpants.”  
“I bet I could…But I bought a pretty dress. I should probably wear it.”  
“Do I have a pretty dress?”  
“Yup. It’s hanging right there next to mine.”

While Valentina goes to examine her dress, Jade says:  
“Do we have enough time for me to do something a little more inspired with your hair, Matty’s hair, and Valentina’s hair?”  
“Yes. Please.”  
“Okay, I’ll start with yours and then do theirs while Mac helps you into your dress…Because her hair is perfection. Matty, can you help Valentina get changed please?”

Matty nods and walks over to Valentina. Jade gestures for me to sit down and quickly takes my hair down before pulling hairstyling tools out of her bag.  
“You came prepared.”  
“Always. Do you have any preference?”  
“Something…up? Other than that, I’m easy.”  
“Cool.”  
She quickly curls my hair and then loosely French braids the front back on one side before twisting and pinning it all up into a twist at the base of my skull. She sprays it with an excessive amount of hairspray and says:  
“Go get dressed.”  
“It looks great, Jade. Thanks.”  
“You’re welcome. Matty, get your butt in this chair, kid.”

I walk over to my dress and pull off my sweatpants and zip-up hoodie. Mac holds the dress as I step into it, and once it’s up to my waist I take off my bra before putting the dress on all the way. Mac does the buttons up and then bends over to help me with my shoes. 

Once I’m dressed, I turn around to see what Jade is doing with Matty’s hair. She’s got three small French braids going from the front of Matty’s head to the back, then the rest of the hair is pulled into a low bun.  
“Looks great, kiddo.”  
“Thanks, V.”

As Jade finishes with Matty and starts with Valentina, there’s a knock on the door. I walk over to it and say:  
“Who is it?”  
“Hector. Can I have a second?”  
I open the door and he steps in with his eyes closed before I close the door behind him.  
“What’s up?”  
“There’s that seat you were saving next to your Dad in case Jade showed up, and Leo just got here and wanted to sit there…”  
“Hector. Open your eyes.”  
He opens his eyes and says:  
“Holy shit. You look amazing, Veronica.”  
“Thank you. Take in the rest of the room.”  
He looks around and stops when he sees Jade and Valentina.  
“You’re here.”  
Valentina giggles and says:  
“Hi, Uncle Hector.”  
“Hi, baby.”  
He turns to me and says:  
“I will let Leo know he needs to sit elsewhere. Also, I’ll bring in the bouquets and flower girl stuff. Am I correct in assuming we would like Eli to be surprised about this?”  
“Yes.”  
“Then I will keep my mouth shut.”  
“Thank you, Hector.”

He leaves the room and I watch as Jade does Valentina’s hair. Mac walks over to me with a glass of champagne and says:  
“Here. For your nerves.”  
“No. Thanks though, Mac. I’m good.”  
I rest my hand on my stomach as I breathe, and Jade looks at me and says:  
“How long?”  
“Ten weeks.”  
“Eli didn’t say anything.”  
“Eli doesn’t know yet.”  
“Are you telling him today?”  
“Yeah. At the reception…Actually, Hector and I have it arranged that he will make the announcement during his best man speech.”  
“He’s going to cry.”  
“Oh, I know.”

She finishes with Valentina’s hair and says:  
“I guess I should go take my seat.”  
“Front row, there should be a ‘reserved’ sign. Thank you again, Jade. I really appreciate this.”  
“No problem. It’s nice to see firsthand that Eli is back and Weevil is gone again.”

As she walks out the door, Hector and my Dad walk up. Hector says:  
“Give me one second, Jade. I’ll walk you to your seat.”  
“Thanks, Hector.”  
Hector hands Dad and I the flowers and says:  
“Everyone’s ready, V.”  
“Good. We’ll be right out.”

I hand Matty and Mac their bouquets and hand Valentina her flower girl basket.  
“So you are going to walk in front of Matty and my friend Wallace and as you walk up the aisle you’re going to drop these petals as you walk, okay?”  
“Okay. What do I do when I get to the end of the aisle?”  
“You hug your Daddy and then go sit with your Mommy.”  
“Okay.”

We all walk out of the room and into the church nave to wait for the music. Wallace and Hector join us and offer their arms to Mac and Matty. When the music starts, we usher Valentina out and I can hear Eli gasp over the music. I start grinning and Dad says:  
“That was a good surprise.”  
“Hopefully he has a similarly happy reaction to my other surprise.”  
“Oh, he will.”  
Matty and Wallace walk out, followed by Mac and Hector, then Dad offers his arm to me and we start our walk once the others are at the end of the aisle. I can see that Eli is crying in his spot, and he mouths:  
“I love you.”  
When we get up to the front, Dad kisses my cheek and steps back to his seat. I whisper to Eli:  
“How’d this stack up to that dream you had when we were teenagers?”  
“It was exactly the same. The church, the dress…everything.”  
I take his hands and squeeze them before I whisper:  
“Can I keep you?”  
Before he can answer, the ceremony begins. In the end, the pastor declares us Mr & Mrs. Navarro, and right before Eli kisses me he says:  
“Yes, you can keep me.”

After the ceremony, all of our guests go to the hall across the parking lot from the church for the reception, and the bridal party — and Dad and Jade, get photos taken before we go over. 

Dad, Jade, and Valentina walk into the reception first, followed by the groomsmen and bridesmaids. Then Eli and I are announced and we walk in. We’ve opted to do our first dance before dinner, along with the father/daughter dance. We do our first dance to “99 Years” by Josh Groban and Jennifer Nettles, and Dad and I (and Eli and Valentina) do the father/daughter dance to “I Loved Her First” by Heartland. After that, just because it was entirely too country for Dad and Eli, we do a second father/daughter dance to “Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns n’ Roses.

When we all sit down, dinner is served. We all chat and eat, with me making excuses about not wanting to get drunk to explain why I wasn’t drinking my wine, instead opting to drink water. After dinner, it’s time for Hector’s speech. He passes me an envelope before he starts talking and he triggers a slideshow that everyone but Eli and I can see since the screen is behind our heads. 

He talks about growing up with Eli and meeting me as a teenager. He’s included pictures of us over the years, and then he talks about Eli marrying Jade and having Valentina. He nods at me and I pass the envelope to Eli, whispering:  
“Open it.”  
Eli opens the envelope as Hector says:  
“My niece, Valentina, is amazing. I can’t wait to meet her younger siblings in about…7 months.”

I know he’s changed the slideshow to my ultrasound, but I’m focused on Eli. He’s staring at the hardcopy of the ultrasound that’s in his hands. He’s crying, but not speaking.  
“Eli? Love? Did we break you?”  
“Twins? We’re having twins?”  
“We’re having twins.”  
“Why did Hector know before me?”  
“He may have found me hyperventilating in the car after that ultrasound appointment. He thought he should help with the surprise…Surprise?”  
He turns and kisses me before saying:  
“How?”  
“Birth control failure. It happens.”  
“You didn’t want kids.”  
“I told you that you might be able to talk me into it…and honestly? As soon as that test showed a plus sign I was over the moon elated.”  
“God, I love you.”  
“I love you.”

————————————————-

Our twins, Felix and Leticia, are born seven months later. Jade and Valentina move back to town shortly after, and within a year, Jade and Hector are married.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Veronica's wedding band: https://www.peoplesjewellers.com/0085-ct-tw-diamond-marquise-frame-vintagestyle-anniversary-band-10k-white-gold/p/V-20238393
> 
> Veronica's dress: https://www.champagneandlace.com/morilee/bridal-fall-2020/2187
> 
> Veronica's shoes: https://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_satin-dorsay-ankle-wrap-stiletto-heels-vw10098271_bridal-wedding-shoes
> 
> Mac and Matty's dresses(but in black): https://www.champagneandlace.com/morilee/bridesmaids-all-active-styles-spring-2020/21604
> 
> Mac and Matty's shoes: https://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_jeweled-cross-strap-peep-toe-stiletto-heels-sbbayli_bridal-wedding-shoes
> 
> Valentina's dress: https://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_cap-sleeve-lace-heart-cutout-flower-girl-dress-wg1408_flower-girl-dresses
> 
> Valentina's shoes: https://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_girls-allover-glitter-round-toe-ballet-flats-cary_flower-girl-shoes
> 
> Mandarin Star Lilies: https://www.veseys.com/ca/mandarin-star-lily-54525.html
> 
> Happy Snow Lilies: https://www.veseys.com/ca/happy-snow-lily-54406.html
> 
> Blacklist Lilies: https://www.veseys.com/ca/blacklist-lily-54528.html


End file.
